Mini twist braids short hair tutorial - TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe Creative

Tools of the Trade:
1. Prep - Volume Plumping Mousse
2. Creative - Extreme Hold Hairspray
3. Classic - Shine Gloss Serum

1. After blow-drying your hair, apply Volume Plumping Mousse thoroughly to the roots of your hair (as usual).
2. Backcomb your hair to give it some more volume and texture so that your bobby pins will hold more easily later on when you twist all your hair into small braids. 
3. Start from the center of your head and then work to the sides, twisting small braids and then pinning them down with bobby pins.
4. Secure the look with generous sprays of Extreme Hold Hairspray - this hairspray is really effective in helping you hold your look throughout the day; great for dramatic hairstyles!
5. Finally, apply a few drops of Shine Gloss Serum to the ends of your hair to help control frizz and boost your hairstyle with some extra shine!

And that marks the end of my four part series with TONI & GUY! Thank you everyone for all your support in voting for me, and for following me throughout this journey! :)

Faux Updo for Short Hair Tutorial - TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe Glamour

I'm finally going to reveal how I make a faux updo from short hair! This is great for formal occasions, or simply when you want to change up your look.
If you try this out, please let me see your results on Instagram by tagging #verafauxupdo!

Tools of the Trade (in order of sequence):
1. Prep - Volume Plumping Mousse
2. Casual - Forming Spray Gel
3. Glamour - Moisturising Shine Spray
4. Glamour - Firm Hold Hairspray

1. As always, towel dry your wet hair, then apply Volume Plumping Mousse generously to the roots of your hair to give your hair some volume and definition for styling later. 
2. Apply Forming Spray Gel to the ends of your hair, where you will be twisting into a faux updo later on. You can either spray the gel directly onto your hair, or spray them onto your hands first and then applying them onto your hair. The gel enhances your hair layers for texture, on top of giving your hair some flexible hold and movement, that will make your hair easier to work with. 
3. Using bobby pins, take sections of your hair and twist them inwards, tuck them in and then pin down. Work around half of your head first and then move on to the other side. The trick is to twist the hair inwards to make it look like a bun of sorts. 
4. Leave the fringe for the last and twist them away from your face. 
5. Tuck any excess baby hairs or loose strands at the back into the twist. Secure with extra bobby pins. 
6. Apply Moisturising Shine Spray to give your hair some natural shine and long-lasting smoothness.
7. Finish off with Firm Hold Hairspray generously, especially over the twist. This hairspray provides you with firm, staying hold without stiffness that makes it ideal for updos. 

Let me know if you have any questions with regards to this tutorial and I hope you try this out! 

Muted Contrast - TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe Creative

Wearing In Good Company Hannah Camisole from Front Row, Lowry's Farm Ripped Denim Jeans, Pazzion Bandage Heels, Topshop Ear Cuff

Photos by Gwen Janelle

This is the last of the my series with TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe. Looking back, despite the slight stress in getting the post out on time and creating impactful visuals, I must say that I really enjoyed the journey. The creative process each week is very fun - challenging myself to take on a new hairstyle that I've never tried before, pairing up the right hairstyles to complete my look for the theme... It is only after this whole series that I realize how much I, as well as so many other women, neglect to style our hair! How many of you are guilty of waking up, giving your hair a rough comb and then going out to town or to work/school just with your hair let down or tied up in a ponytail? After all, hair is one of the most important things which affects the way you look and how people judge you.

I had fun playing with the various TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe ranges and I must say I especially like the Sea Salt Texturizing Spray from the Casual range as it creates texture and natural movement within your hair easily, while the Spritz and Shine Liquid Mousse from the Glamour range is great for giving your hair some healthy shine.

For this last creative look, I have chosen to pull all the hair away from my face by creating tiny twist braids from the crown to the sides of my head. This hairstyle is very easy to create and is great for girls on a weekend out to town, or even when you want to look good while hitting up the gym! (Side note - I really need to do something about those roots growing out, my hair is now caught between black and copper red-brown.)

I offset this hairstyle with some contrasting elements in my outfit choice. Hannah, the runched bust strap camisole, from In Good Company is really very comfortable, with a suede-like treated fabric. It's very understatedly chic, and I paired it here with a pair of ripped denims for some street cred. The designers behind In Good Company are the same creative force that used to be behind alldressedup, and I love their designs for their functionality (comfort) and versatility (from day to night) with the pairing of the right accessories. Their designs offer today's working women with simple, yet chic classics and is flattering on the body, with subtle draping done at the right places.

Shot at National Museum on a cloudy Sunday morning, that's how I like to spend my weekends. Wait - I guess that's how I'd like to spend the rest of my life - with art, fashion, good wholesome food and my own space and freedom to do some creative work that can preferably help some other people to better their lives at the same time too.

PS - Would appreciate if you can click LIKEY LIKE to vote for my photo over at the Toni & Guy Facebook page to help me realize my dreams of going to London Fashion Week!

A Magpie's Collection

Recently I have been getting into shiny objects like a magpie. I collect them, I hoard them and I start parading them around. When I first started getting interested in fashion, it was always about finding the cheapest substitute for that look that I saw from this season's latest style trend report from style.com, or window shopping at Zara, and then frantically finding a similar dress at a fraction of the retail price online. But now as I read more and more about the industry, and also learnt more about couture, I begin to appreciate the beauty of workmanship in a piece more. I can't afford designer ware, but at least I will stop buying poorly made clothes with loose threads and cheap fabric, to save more money to buy that one piece which would probably last me much longer.

I almost neglected my accessories collection - this includes jewelry, bags and shoes.

However, I've started to realize just how important accessories are to an outfit. The small details not only complete your whole look, they personalize it. You and the girl next door can be wearing the similar looking little black dresses, but if you have a beautiful necklace centerpiece, it immediately makes your outfit more interesting and it adds a dash of color to an otherwise plain palette.



Alive & Live is just one store to realize this. Its founder, Audrey, is all about the details, as evident by her themed booths at each flea market that she participates in. When I met her at the Public Garden flea market, she had a carnival theme going on, complete with red and white striped tablecloth, a complete carnival stall booth with wood planks and a chalk headboard with "Alive & Live" drawn on it. Necklaces and other accessories were carefully displayed on faux grass and in vintage-treated wood boxes.

I thoroughly enjoyed browsing through the beautiful bling stocked at her online store and I can say that the quality of these pieces is really good at these price points. Aside from jewelry, Alive & Live also carries quirky stationery, disposable cameras and home & living products.

I hope this has inspired you to take more attention to using accessories to complete your look, and even to 'revamp' an old t-shirt!

Resort Glamazon - TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe Glamour

Wearing H&M Resort print dress, Rubi mirror court heels, H&M  Ear cuff and Lovisa Ear studs

Photos by Katherine from Tanjong Bazaar

Glamour, to me, is not about ostentatious outfits with adorned with sequins, jewels or over-the-top organza and trailing tulle. Granted, the outfit needs to be stand out, but it needs to complement your figure and your "attitude" well. I believe it's more important to get a dress that makes you feel comfortable, so that you will exude natural confidence and carry yourself differently, instead of constantly worrying if you're going to get a wardrobe malfunction.

For my third installation of TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe, I take on the Glamour look with a resort print dress from H&M, paired with just simple accessories. I love this dress for its amazing print, and also its cut - I'm a sucker for halter neck dresses because I personally find that it draws emphasis onto my shoulders and attention away from my heavier bottom. Shot in Fort Canning, the lush greens bring out the beauty of this dress even more.

Do not think that short hair can't go glam - in fact short hair looks very good when slicked back, or with a curled wavy fringe, or even in a faux updo! In my next tutorial post, I'm showing you how to achieve a 'twist braid' above the nape of your neck that looks like you have your hair tucked in a updo.

In Talks With, Chris Kerrigan, Co-founder of THE GOODS DEPT Jakarta

From left: Chris, Cynthia and Anton
Image courtesy of The Goods Dept 

I had the great opportunity of seating down with Chris Kerrigan, co-founder of THE GOODS DEPT, one of the leading multi-label boutiques in Jakarta when I was there on holiday. I first met Chris at Blueprint tradeshow last year in May 2012 and have found him to be an extremely humble person, considering he and his wife Cynthia are widely known in Indonesia as the tastemakers for everything hip and cool. 

He shared with me more about the founding of THE GOODS DEPT and also his thoughts on the Singapore market.

Naked Glory: What has been the development for THE GOODS DEPT from last year May till now?

Chris Kerrigan: Last year, we were still in our first location which was in Plaza Indonesia, and that was a temporary space. We had that for a year and a half before we moved to Pacific Place which is more central. Moving was quite a big deal. Subsequently, we opened up a new, bigger location in Pondok Indah Mall, and we're scheduled to open a third store at Lotte in June. We've also launched our webstore, with regional shipping options. We don't have everything listed on the webstore, but a pretty good selection.

NG: Do you think that THE GOODS DEPT reached a cult status amongst the cool kids in Jakarta?

CK: It started with Brightspot market. Before we started Brightspot there wasn't a lot of interest in local Indonesian brands. The perception was that local meant bad quality, or people were just interested in international brands - both high street and high end wise. Brightspot was built around young, local designers who wanted to have a better quality RTW product. 

That's kind of what developed the cult status. Since then, Brightspot has reached a much more mass audience and these indie designers now have a huge following. We definitely have the movers and shakers of the Jakarta fashion scene's support but especially being in a mall, we are able to reach a bigger audience. 

NG: What do you think of Indonesian designers in terms of their potential to reach the global market or at least generate regional interest?

CK: Actually a lot of them have already reached out to markets overseas - we get a lot of Singapore buyers that come to Brightspot and to our stores to check out the brands. Regionally, the brands are ready but internationally it's still a jump. There are things they need to think about - especially in terms of sizing and fit - before they branch out. But there are a few denim brands and accessories that have been picked up internationally. 

There are also other fundamental issues like resources for fabrics that are challenging for a lot of these brands. Indonesia, being a manufacturing country, has quite a bit of amazing fabrics, but in order to get to them, you need to have minimum orders of 10,000 that are just not possible for these young brands. So they resort to a lot of local markets and few places that have endstock of fabric. Sometimes brands end up picking up the same fabric and it becomes a bit of an issue. 

Psst, I would appreciate it greatly if you can vote for me for the TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe Contest! Please LIKE my photo on TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe Facebook page if you have enjoyed my content! Thank you <3

Styling Short Hair - TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe Classic

Wearing American Apparel Long Sleeve Crop Top, OwnMuse Highwaist Maxi Skirt, Dorothy Perkins Hydrangea Print Court Heels, Mint Jewel Necklace c/o Curated Editions

Photos by Gwen Janelle

A lone girl crossing a deserted street with a purpose. She's exploring, searching, playful yet cautious of her surroundings. Where are these people on a hot Sunday afternoon? Maybe they're strolling along the corridors of air-conditioned malls, and come Monday, they'll all be back to pound these streets again.

What is a classic hairstyle? To me, that is something that will never go out of trend and is able compliment almost everyone. For long hair, that's easy - braids, chignons, top knots, bouffant/beehive and ponytails come into mind. But for short hair, not so easy. After all, there are very limited things you can do with short hair.

For this second installation of  TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe, I'm giving you my own interpretation of classic - center parted hair with side twist braids and lots of volume. 

I paired this look with a elegant, long highwaist maxi skirt from local label OwnMuse that drapes beautifully down the body and even more beautiful when in motion. The long silhouette is complemented with a tight cropped longsleeves top and feminine accessories - light mint jewel necklace and ear studs with hydrangea print court heels.

Here's how to get this look: 

Tools of the Trade (in order of sequence):

1. Prep - Volume Plumping Mousse

2. Classic - Medium Hold Hairspray

3. Classic - Shine Gloss Serum

1. Same as last week's tutorial, to damp hair, apply Volume Plumping Mousse liberally to your roots to prepare your hair for volume and hold later on. 
2. Apply Medium Hold Hairspray to the inner layers of your hair, then immediately backcomb the hair after each spray. This helps to create volume faster than just backcombing and then applying hairspray after. Backcomb until you obtain your desired volume. 
3. Make a center parting, then grab a small section of your hair and twist it away from your face. Secure it down with two bobby pins. 
4. Do the same for the other side.
5. Add some Shine Gloss Serum, concentrating on the ends of your hair, but also throughout your hair.
6. Finally, using your fingers, scrunch up portions of your hair to 'fluff' it up further, and set the look again with Medium Hold Hairspray. 

This look is great even for those of you with long hair - you just have to make the side twist braid longer towards the middle of your crown.

What is your interpretation of a classic hairstyle?

If you've enjoyed this tutorial, please vote for me by LIKING my photo on TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe Facebook page! Your support is greatly appreciated ^_^