Skulls, beading & leopard…oh my!

Yesterday I attended the Sydney Rock ‘n’ Roll & Alternative Markets…so natch, had to throw a rockin’ outfit together.

In Kuala Lumpur I found a fantastic mesh top with large scale skull face on the front. With metallic beaded detailing on the eyes and nose, it’s quite effective…who’dathunk KL would have gothy gear like this? It’s from Parkson in the fabulous Pavilion mall, and the label is Elyze – believe me, they have some really cool stuff.  And it only cost 108 ringgit – which is AUD$33!

Since it was still pretty cold here yesterday I threw on a black skivvie underneath, along with my Sass & Bide Black Rat leggings and a studded miniskirt. A Topshop metallic leopard boyfriend jacket & studded cuff rounded off the ensemble. Oh, and let’s not forget my fave pointy leopard boots.

Elyze skull top & Topshop jacket  gothic beaded skull top

The left pic shows the front detail of the face a bit better, while the right shows MY face a bit more. I used a zingy yellow-green on my eyelid, with a browny-grey in the crease:

goth studded skull top 

The eye make-up is a bright shadow duo from L’Oreal, from their High Intensity Pigment or HIP range. The set is called “Riotous” – I like it! The green is a moody chartreuse and the grey/brown is a sludgy mud colour that goths, deathrockers and psychobilly chicks alike will love for its swampy quality.

It’s a nice change from black eyeshadow that I can use in the daytime & still have a smoky eye. Better still, I got the set in a reduced-price bin at my local chemist – score! You’ve always gotta keep your eyes out for a bargain 😉 At $5 it was definitely “worth it”.

 

Riotous eyeshadowRiotous eyeshadow

I can honestly say most things I bought this time around are getting worn (or will be in the summer). I’ll do a small haul post soon, showing some of the gloriously coloured bags I bought, as well as shoes and clothes. While the buys from Topshop or New Look are no different in price to home, the local fashions and make-up items are most definitely cheaper.

Have you scored any bargains recently, at home or overseas?

I got new hair extensions in Singapore!

Yes, I got long wavy hair extensions installed when I was in Singapore. Getting exte’s is a common thing for gyaru’s, but I’m  not really “gal”. The one time I had it done previously was in Australia, and for a LOT more. So, extes in Singapore.  I think it’s a rite of passage or something, like getting your hair braided in Bali (but hopefully more tasteful looking).

I researched and found that the main names coming up were Angel Xin, Vain, Milly’s, and H & C Carnival. In the end, I just trotted off to the Far East Plaza near Orchard Road, and took my chances.  On the 3rd floor there are various beauty salons, and I kept wandering past a few of them, eventually heading in to Vain Hair & Beauty. The main shop is seen below:

 …and the one I went into was just opposite, at shop 140

Vain Hair extensions Singapore

200 extensions would be $100, or 400 for $200. I ended up getting 400 (or so they told me). Although I still have a lot of blue hair, my roots and a good 6-8 inches are my natural dark brown, and so they matched the extes more or less to that. (I think they could’ve gone a little darker actually, but it’s ok). Here are the halfway and completed shots.

 

And from the front? I tried a few self-camera shots back in the hotel room:

 

I ended up trimming one of the sides that was hanging down longer at the front, but overall I’m pretty pleased with them. I think they look quite natural, being wavy, and now “I can haz mermaid hair”!  I feel very girly swishing the wavy wisps over my shoulder. So waddya reckon, eh?

Yeah…not bad!

I can see this will work very well when I wear gothic fashion or gyaru fashion…and definitely saves me time by not having to straighten my own hair. It looks better the wavier it is, blending in more with the wavy extensions. Even in humid weather as in KL, it looks good. I’m sold! If you’re ever in Singapore, go ye to the 3rd floor of the Far East Plaza and check it out:

Vain Beauty
Far East Plaza
No. 14 Scotts Rd
#03-113 or #03-140
Singapore  228213
+6597115290

What about you? Have you ever had long hair extensions installed, either at home, or overseas? Were you pleased with the results?

Big night out at Zouk nightclub in KL

Just over a week ago we flew into Kuala Lumpur and had a whirlwind kinda night. Tired as we were (I’d done night shift the night before the flight), we had a mission. I’d arranged to meet up with local riot grrl and blogger Jessicat, and a big night was surely in store.  Jess was an absolute sweetheart and offered to pick us up and show us some KL nightlife – as it turned out, to Zouk!

On the way in the car we talked about Malaysian & Singaporean bloggers and their liberal usage of wtf, fml, and even fhl (fuck his/her life) and fol (fuck our lives). ROFL. Then I learned a little about when to say “lah” and when to say “lor” in Malayenglish. Local vocab is very important, lah (or is that lor?)

Not to cast aspersions on her driving or anything (!), but we went across live lanes of oncoming traffic, made illegal and last minute right-hand turns, got to the car-park and drove around twice before finding the driveway to go down to the next floor…I tell you, it’s good that I was too busy chatting – Dom was shitting himself!  It was the first of many things that led Dom and I to christen Jess as “ditzy”.  Yes, we taught her a new word. I think she’s blonde on the inside – and I think she knows it too (don’t you dearie? Love you!)

It was midnight when we got there, so just enough time to check out the local lol-lok stall and have a few bites before hitting the club. Lok-lok is basically an array of things like fish balls, meat etc on sticks that you cook in boiling broth for a few minutes before dipping in sauce and scoffing.  Not bad, but no match for the curry mee, satays, roti canai’s etc I was looking forward to.  However, a girl has to have a lining on her stomach before drinking, or else she may end up less than ladylike by the end of the night 😉

Are we ready to hit the club, kids? Dom’s not too sure, but Jess and I are keen 🙂  Yes, you may have noticed a distinct lack of lashes on my part. I’d neglected to pack mascara, and with Jess already chomping at the bit for us to hit the town, there was no time to put on my fake lashes, dang it. BUT circle lenses cover a multitude of sins, lah?

Zouk is a mega club (sister club to Singapore’s Zouk) with various rooms paying different music – there’s the Velvet Underground, Phuture, Arista, Barsonic and the Terrace Bar. Jess, being the local it girl that she is, got us in for free, saving us 58 ringgit each – yeehaw! I tell you though, it’s on the alcohol here in Malaysia that you’ll spend your money – it’s the same prices we pay in Australia, despite the food being 5 to 10 times cheaper. We discovered that it is actually cheaper at Zouk to buy five beers, than to buy three. Three cost 85 ringgit but five cost 67 – don’t ask me why! We learned our lesson after the first round. CHEERS!

So we checked out the various rooms, and I loved the kooky decor ( if not the music, which was pretty r & b/techno based).

  

I think Barsonic was where we had the best time – there just lovely friendly people there, and a lot of cool hipsters too! Like these guys, who turned out to be designers.

Our fave bit was when Smashing Pumpkins came on – at last!! Indie music!!! Not for long, but it was really nice while it lasted. The kids seemed to like it too – so why don’t they play more indie music at clubs here? It’s a mystery. We walked around to see all the rooms, but man, was it packed!! Lookit:

Despite the fact we were just gonna have a few drinks and head on home, we somehow managed to stay until lights up, which found us chatting to these guys from Singapore:

Stumbling outside we found Jess and her friend…and decided it was time to eat again!! We went to a nearby food place (even though it was after 4 by this time) and I had a delicious roti canai and teh tarik. YUM!  Dom’s biryani and the girls’ noodles were equally delish. God bless Malaysia and its food!  Dom and I finally hit the sack at 5.30am – that is, 8.30am Sydney time. YUP – it had been a LOOOOONG day and night!!

Thanks Jess for showing us around and introducing us to your friends. See you next time we’re in KL – as long as we’ve had a good long sleep first!!

Fashion Shopping in KL and UK high street brands in KL

In just over a week I will be flying back to Malaysia, and apart from the food, one of the things I’m most looking forward to, is… SHOPPING!!!

Oh Kuala Lumpur, the malls, the malls…There’s a cool little summary here, or here is my post on KL shopping malls (from my last visit). I also recently discovered the similarly named Fashion Traveller, which has city shopping guides including one for KL – and a handy directory for where to find what designer brands in KL.

My faves are in the Bukit Bintang area of KL. Berjaya Times Square, Pavilion, Lot 10, even Sungei Wang/BB Plaza, and up in Little India, Sogo and Pertama. This time around I will have to explore the Suria KLCC – we’re staying at Traders on our last weekend, so that will be my time to hit that high-end area of shopping. I also missed Starhill Gallery last time, so that’s a must-see this time around.

I’m especially happy that some of my fave UK high street brands not in Australia have outlets in KL, and always have a nose around when I’m there.  I’m talking about Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins, Mango and Zara (which IS coming to Australia in 2001 – squee!)  So I just had to have a little peek at the webstores to see what’s up and coming…call it my “Things I Love Thursday” list if you will.

Top Shop

Ok, so I don’t really need another black skirt, but I love the unusual fabric on this one, as well as these lace leggings, and the lace bib necklace. Granted, bib necklaces are on the way out, but lace is certainly in, and it could zoozh up the neckline of a top or dress beautifully.

Not to mention, it was selected by Tommy Ton from the Topshop Freedom range, along with these fab and fierce rings.

 

And although it won’t get cool until next May, I’m tempted to stock up on these great shearling boots, although the red wedges and gorgeous rose-embellished platform shoes would be great for summer parties right now:

Dorothy Perkins

Maybe with my renewed interest in Dolly Kei comes a new appreciation of gorgeous paisley and floral dresses in jewel colours – I love these in turquoise, orange and purple:

They have a very vintage feel and could SOOO be styled up for the global traveller look too.

And these dresses in lace (so hot right now), tribal design and embellished looks also grab my attention:

Miss Selfridge

Moving onto jackets now, this military jacket, spotted mac and berry coloured turkey-feather jacket would fit into my wardrobe nicely (at least in the cooler months)

Although again, the lace ones are spectacular, and would work with my Victorian/gothic/steampunk and Dolly Kei looks:

Oh, and I was never really a fan of jumpsuits until I saw this “Gossip Girl Beaded Jumpsuit”, also from Miss Selfridge. I can just see myself swanning about in this of an evening, on my over-the-water bungalow at Sipadan, sipping a cocktail as the sun goes down…

OK, so black + embellished = love for me (so predictable, aren’t I?)

That’s probably enough online-shopping for now. The real stuff starts next week!

What are your fave online stores? Do you buy from them often? Or are you scared about sizing?

Fabulous food in Kuala Lumpur

So it’s time to catalogue some of the tremendous meals I’ve been having in Malaysia, in case anyone else likes Malaysian food and may even venture over.

I already mentioned the great curry noodles I had in Cafe Kopitiam in the Pavilion (my new fave KL mall), and the fab satay and kway teow on Jalan Alor. The night after I ventured out to little India (and yes I got a little lost). I found a groovy little night market eatery that again was kind of open air in that it had no real walls; it was like an outdoors food court of Malay, Indian and Chinese food. The place I chose had a woman running it, and females eating there. You don’t always want to be stared at by a bunch of men, and the stall to the right had a bunch of Indian men doing just that.

Above is a pic of the place, and as I’d resolved to have something new, I looked up and saw ‘Mee Kung Foo’ – and ordered it. My, was it delish. Seafood, fresh veg, really crispy fried shallots and a lovely mild sauce like chow mein.

In my last 24 hours in KL I went back to the Golden Triangle/Bukit Bintang area. For my last dinner there I returned to Jalan Alor, and sat at the stall next to the original one I ate at, called Yan’s. Yes, I had satay again, and also had a noodle dish that wasn’t kway teow but was very yum. It had prawns, chicken and squid in it and I admit I picked out the green chilli.

I had lunch at a place in front of the Bukit Bintang Plaza, called BB’s Bistro – there was a place nearby called Restoran Kitaro I was looking at, but all the tables were full!. Anyway, I had a spicy soup dish with noodles, egg, tofu, chicken etc which was so nice that I wasn’t going to eat it all initially but i did 🙂 I had a lovely teh tarik also (which is strong, sweet milky tea that’s been poured from a great height back and forth til its frothy).

So next day for brekkie I went to Restoran Kitaro and had a delicious Roti Canai and Teh Tarik (yes, I AM addicted to TT).

More to come…