Fashion | Late Night Shopping at Harvey Nicks

Went to the Harvey Nichols Leeds Student Event last night at Victoria Quarter with fellow blogger @Lily_Delamode/@simply-life and fashion designer Kamilla Yau. Doubling as the Leeds RAG Fashion Show Wrap party, perks included free entry, late-night shopping with 10% beauty brands (which a shop assistant informed me is something rare for Harvey Nicks), a goody bag of purchases over 50 pounds, which wasn't hard to achieve if we pooled our receipts together.

I've been hesitant about the sheer skirt trend but eventually succumbed to buying one off missguided and was pleased I did! Suppose it's one of those things you can't wear just anywhere but it fit this particular occasion well. Score.

The night was spent browsing through all the gorgeous new season additions and sipping free pomegranate cider. Oh here's a useful tip for you ladies (or gents even): go shopping with a fashion student, or better yet, a fashion design graduate! They are able to spot the tiniest details that often gets missed by the untrained eye and makes all the difference from a good buy and buyer's remorse.

In the end we spent our $ on the beauty counters: I bagged two items that have been highly recommended by youtube gurus and friends alike (The Shu Uemura UV mousse base and the bareMinerals powder) I can't wait to try them out. Kamilla bought some glitter effect nailpolish from under-rated brand 'butter'. The pigmentation of glitter nail polishes tends to come out quite weak when painted on but these polishes actually had great strong color with only one coat. It's convincing enough to make me consider nabbing some up for myself.

Combining our collective haul, we qualified for that free goody bag which contained samples from Dermalogica, an invite to the next fashion event hosted by Harvey Nichols and a pack of mini 'ohso' chocolate - healthy chocolate (could it be??) that contains probiotics that are found in yoghurt to aid digestion and general well-being. Never heard of this brand before but my god, good-for-you chocolate that tastes good as well?  I need to find company HG and demand a lifetime supply! Plus, look how adorable the packaging is!

Miscellaneous Musings | China's Consumerist Cool

'Conspicuous consumption may be an American invention, but it has been perfected in China'

Lately I've been engrossed in Annie Wang's People Republic of Desire. Though I was initially thrown off by the hot pink cover, reminiscent of a sickly teen novel, and I was convinced it would simply be a Chinese rendition of 'Sex and the City'. But by giving this deceptive book a try, I was sold after reading the first few pages.

The Peoples Republic of Desire, rather than being a trashy chick lit, is really a study of women living in new China. It highlights the repercussions of Westernization and materialism of modern China, thus painting a disturbing portrait of China's 'elite'. Told through the eyes of four young women that belong in this bracket of society, Annie Wang's novel is more so a critique of this lifestyle. The book is filled with coffee-house discussions of once taboo subjects in Chinese culture: pornography, sexuality, extra marital affairs. These discussions depict a world where English and a white boyfriend are seen as trendy, where name-dropping and flashy spending has become commonplace and where McDonalds is seen as a quasi status symbol. Ultimately, these girls live in a world where connections and assets weigh more than the individual.

Having lived in Hong Kong for the majority of my life, I could relate alot to the characters and the observations made in this book. As a university student studying in the UK, I have come realize just how privileged my childhood had been. I have grown up around pristine shopping malls, expensive restaurants and brand names. University is a somewhat humbling experience, seeing as I now have to earn my own keep, manage spending and forego designer goods. Now on the outside looking in, I see just how misguided Hong Kong society actually is. I take this as a big step of growing up, when you can finally see things for what they truly are.

Fashion | Prada S/S 2012 Campaign

Photographer: Steven Meisel

Sugary pastels, Swiss lace, and tons of feminine pleating and car-print silks merged with hot-rod iconography in leather appliquéd skirts and shoes with 3-D spurs flaming from the heels.

I'm really impressed with this Spring/Summer's Prada campaign. Mixing retro rock'nroll with vintage tailoring and a pastel color palette, this look exudes a timeless elegance that Prada is well known for, whilst still remaining modern. The video advert is equally as visually stunning and well composed as the stills.


Here are some of my favourite pieces from the collection:

Miscellaneous Musings | New spin on the traditional CV

As the hunt for jobs gets increasingly more competitive, job-seekers all over the world are trying to employ creative ways to present themselves and make their CV stand out from the crowd. With recent advancements in technology, people have gradually looked towards digital resources and services to address this need: from the traditional favourite Linkedin, to infographics (vizualize.me) and virtual portfolios (Issuu). Recently, I've come to find out about another way to visually present your digital CV, through video documentation. This is the concept behind Meet the Real Me, a UK based company that aims to enhance the job application process by adding personality to one's CV. In a way, the creators are aiming to create a career-specific Youtube.

How it works

At Meet The Real Me, you can see and hear every candidate present their professional and academic experiences in their own words, in their own style, with confidence and enthusiasm. So from now on, don’t just rely on grades or qualifications as a way to screen application numbers, bring personality back into recruitment!

I recently read an article by The Guardian denouncing University degree classification as inaccurate and unreflective of a student's true ability. Which is why part of me does see the merit in online video CVs. Registration is fairly straightforward and soon enough, you're given the opportunity to record yourself on webcam there and them. To make the process fair, all candidates are required to complete the same structured three question interview, recording their answers using a webcam from home or office.

The site also promotes online video recruitment campaigns for employers for the purpose of

reducing costly face-to-face interviews for both you and the candidate.

Interestingly, the company has also branched out to the Education sector:

We have partnered with over 28 universities and colleges across the UK who are integrating our video interviews into their employability programmes during the 2012 academic year.

Looking through a number of videos that existing users have currently uploaded, I can definitely see the appeal of the idea. Who wants to read boring bullet-pointed Word documents when you could see the person face-to-face explaining why they are best suited for the job in their own voice? At the same time, as I click through person after person, I begin to realize how answers seem to overlap with each other as people answer the same questions. The site is still in its early stages of development, and perhaps through more recognition and user sign-ups, I hope to see more creative and innovative uses of the video format to engage potential employers.


What do you guys think of this particular form of digital recruitment? Would you hire someone who sent you a video CV?