COLETTE //

I wasn't really a fan of Colette Hayman's jewellery when her stores started blooming all over the city because I thought it was just the same as Diva, Equip and some overpriced jewellery franchises. But was I wrong! Finally had a good look at a Colette store a few months ago when I was trying to help my friend find a birthday present. Lo and behold, while not everything was my style, I instantly fell in love with the chicness and elegance of her pieces...and all for an affordable price!

Colette is having a whooping 50% off all their jewellery right now and I couldn't help but scoop up some pieces. Of course, rings, bangles and bracelets were all part of the deal.

THRIFT THURSDAY: SMARTY PANTS //

Mika & Gala Scarf-patterned Shorts | $15

Check out my latest love that I score from Attik yesterday! I've been seeing a lot of scarf-patterned shorts around on the bloggersphere lately, and couldn't believe my eyes when I found these amongst the sales rack for a mere $15. Really, you don't need to go to markets anymore and rummage through other people's junk to find a treat, hoping that their clothes aren't infested with lice and fleas when you wear them. Brand new clothes for dirt chip prices please! And especially if they are sporting beautiful tessellating vintage prints. These are a couple of sizes too big for me, but they were the last ones in store, but I know the accompanying ribbon or a simple black belt will do the trick.

And if you really love this pattern, there are a couple of tops sporting it for $15 as well! I tried it on but the cutting and boldness of the top isn't something that I'm used to, and I wouldn't know what to wear with it!

OREO CHEESECAKES //

Credits: Market HQ Blog

While on my daily scroll through instagram last week, I chanced upon this recipe featured on Market HQ blog and died a little bit from excitement overload. On Thursday, I impulsively decided to skip uni and, while wondering what to do with my free day, remembered this recipe and decided to try it out. It would be the perfect graduation gift for my food-lover boyfriend (I had already gotten him a grad present earlier in the year from my Hong Kong holiday). I even walked all the way to the supermarket (a big deal for someone as lazy as I am) and selected all the ingredients. Had a bit of a ditzy moment where I stood in front of the Oreo stand, googling the number of Oreos in each box...alas, I ended up buying too many and now have an extra box in my pantry! Oh well, guess I'll have to make these cheesecakes again!

I was a bit hesitant to make cheesecakes. I've only made cheesecake once before a few years ago, and it turned out to be a disaster. But guess what, these turned out perfectly! The boyfriend gave it a 12 out of 10 (though he's probably a little tiny bit biased), and even my brother, the fussiest eater, devoured one after another. 

While baking, I took out my camera and had fun snapping the process - I always love documenting and taking photos, sometimes even more than the end result itself! Enjoy a bit of photo spam:

It's been a long while since I've blogged here, but life has been very busy and it's been a bit of a struggle handling Uni, work and internship commitments while still trying to find some quality time to spend with the boyfriend, family and friends. But I've loved blogging since I was in high school so I definitely won't be giving it up! I've also been encouraged by some friends to feature some fashion outfits and things on this blog, which I might actually give it a go - I've got nothing to lose right?

In the meantime, you can follow me on instagram (my latest obsession, username: corruptingmiffy), and my other food blog (which I share with my boyfriend): www.unreservedtable.wordpress.com, which has also had a lengthy hiatus but I've recently returned to with a post!

OMBRE-CELETS //

Images from Of a Kind

I'm a little bit devastated that I will never be the owner of these Sunset Trio Bracelets by Garnett Jewelry. These wittily-nicknamed ombre-celets feature my currently favourite colour spectrum at the moment, that peachy and summery reds and pinks paired with a classy jewellery brass. Another reason why I love them so much is that they are a collection of three bracelets, which allow you to mix and match with your own jewellery and create unique arm swag everyday. Sadly by the time I found these babies on Of a Kind (only 60 of them), I was a few days too late and they were sold out at $60 each.

It's been difficult trying to update the blog frequently, not because I don't have anything to show or talk about, but because I've been really busy with work and Uni and all of it, and caught the dreaded flu (again!) this week. I ended up missing half a day of Uni on Monday, skipping again on Thursday, and feeling unhealthy and down in the dumps. But hopefully the new week will be better!

Also, find me on my new love, Instagram, username corruptingmiffy. We'll have a swell time stalking each other's photos, I promise.

THRIFT THURSDAY: GOLDEN TREASURES //

1. Miss Shop | $5
2. H&M | $1.50
3. H & M | $5
4. Vintage
5. Forever New | $6

I wore these rings and bracelet, all of them, to Uni the other day. Whereas once upon a time I would have thought this was over-accesorising, nowadays I feel the more the better. I feel almost naked going anywhere without at least a piece of metal on me.

I almost never buy any of my jewellery full-price. There are so many sales nowadays, and they occur everyday rather than just at the end of the financial year. Everytime I go shopping I always scour the jewellery racks for new deals. Can you believe that giant H&M gem is only $1.50??

I also love the vintage ring that originally belonged to my mum. Alas, apparently her fingers were so much thinner than mine when she was my age that it could only fit on my pinkie.

THE TEA SOCIETY //

Law culture prescribes that all those in its profession, no matter now junior, should drink coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. So while it has become a ritual for me to drink a large skim mocha every morning at 8am, I still enjoy indulging in a cup of steaming hot tea once in a while.

The only times that I've ever gone into T2 was to buy gifts for other people, because it does seem a bit expensive to pay $15 for 100g of tea leaves. Occasionally I'd relish in their in-store pre-brewed free tea samples, but after almost knocking a whole row of teapots off the shelf with my bag once, I've reverted back to drinking coffee and Chinese green tea at home.

Meeting the boyfriend for dinner one night, he excitedly met me after work and told me about the Tea Society. The Tea Society sounds like a high culture term, but the beauty of it is that anyone can join...and it's free. Also, says the boyfriend, it has cool typography. If anything, I've always loved T2's shop displays - I still remember when it used to decorate its walls with sheets and sheets of Chinese newspapers , and nowadays teapots adorn the shelves in all its glassy (spot the pun) glory. After spending half an hour trying to choose a box of tea, I landed on Green Rose - I couldn't stop sniffing the sample box. It was fruity and flowery and exotic. Forking $15 to buy a box of tea just so I can join the Tea Society doesn't seem so bad anymore.

Together with my purchase, I received a welcome pack with three extra packets of tea and a membership card that will apparently accumulate points and inform me of new stock and special events, but fingers crossed it will also bring along a few discounts so I can go back and try some more of their delicious tea.

Thrift Thursday: The First One!

Back in my high school days when I received five dollars worth of pocket money and was barely fashion conscious, Cotton On was the medium via which I transited from child wearing mother-bought clothes to teenage I-run-my-own-life style. I liked its blocked colours and style, and, at the very least, it was a step up from Supre.

I'm not sure what happened to Cotton On these days, or maybe I'm no longer as ignorant about fashion as I once was. To me, Cotton On today speaks of below par quality, loud pop, messiness and cheapness.

I still wander into the store once in a while though, and sometimes you come across gems like this Cotton On Shirt, which I got for a wonderful five dollars after receiving a further 50% off at the counter.

To be honest I was a bit hesitant when I first saw the shirt. I found it among the sale racks at the Cotton On outlet at Market City among other dull coloured pieces, and surprisingly it was in my size. Originally for $30, it walked a risky line between vintage and Hawaiian tourism. Yet the silky texture and bold pattern stopped me from putting it back on the rack, and the further reduction was definitely not unwelcomed.

Thus begin Thrift Thursdays. I've built up quite a reputation amongst close friends for successful thrifts over the past couple of years, and really there is nothing more exciting than finding something you like or love for an unexpected bargain. Sure, ogling at designer clothes and splurging your whole month's worth of income on one piece is always a lovely luxury, but treasure hunting for something that is affordable yet still can be appreciated? That's worth it to me.

RUBEDO

Photos obtained here

I can't stop looking at these amazing photos (or cinemagraphs, though I wasn't able to obtain them) by Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg. They are showing off Tiffany & Co's new jewellery series which feature rubedo, a new metal that rests on the skin with a rose luminscence by combining the warmth, richness and elegance of every girls'  three favourite metals: gold, silver and copper. Science aside, the shots by Beck and Burg are stunning and alluring. Imagine pairing one of those cuffs with a simple LBD! I've been pining and hinting not-to-subtly to my boyfriend for a classic Tiffany & Co. piece, but dear boyfriend, I wouldn't mind one of these ballerina-coloured pieces either.

MACARONS

It's funny that the macaron-craze, which began when Masterchef featured Zumbo's crazy creations, continues to amuse bakers and non-Parisians today. Like many others, I myself have been sucked into buying and tasting macarons from different cafes and bakeries, as well as attempting to bake the perfect macarons - ones that could not only talk the talk with their flavour, but walk the walk with their feet (oh I know, my sense of humour shocks myself sometimes).

A couple of days ago, my boyfriend and I had our umpteenth go at making some chocolate macarons with buttercream filling. We've both had a couple of successful goes before (him more than me with some delightfully pink lychee ones), so we thought these would be the ultimate macarons.

Unfortunately it was not to be - the cream, though having a lovely vanilla and buttery taste (could not stop eating the leftovers off the beater), did not set properly. And I wasn't too happy with the lack off feet (though my boyfriend kept pointing to the bottom of the chocolate discs and claiming that the feet are there). But they still tasted pretty awesome and we had a great afternoon of baking!