Thursday, January 30, 2014

Celebrate Chinese New Year with some Decorations

In the fourth episode of {Get Ready For CNY14 With Sasha}, I will be sharing some decoration tips for Chinese New Year with you. Please go ahead and check out the first, second, and third part of this special feature if you haven't already done so. 

Decoration plays a key element in holiday celebrations, and just like Christmas, Hanukkah, or other special occasions, Chinese New Year also needs that warm and happy atmosphere. 
1. Red and Gold are THE colours
As you may have already noticed, gold and red are the key players in Chinese New Year's decoration because gold signifies money and wealth while red is believed to bring luck and happiness. 


2. Why fish?
One of my friends asked me last year: "This is the year of SNAKE right? Why there are fish everything?" haha Well, you will continue to see plenty of fish as part of the decoration this year, next year, and the year after... The reason fish plays such a key character in Chinese New year is because its pronunciation is similar to "something left", so having fish every year at home means you have enough resources and are well prepared for the upcoming year.

3. "福"
Maybe some of you have already become very familiar with this Chinese character as it's literally EVERYWHERE. But what does it mean? Well, it means wealthy, but its referral is not only limited to money, but could also associate with happiness, good health, uplifting career, united family and more. Another interesting thing is that many Chinese would put this character up side down on the door since the pronunciation of "down" is the same as "arrival". 

4. Couplet
Usually Chinese would buy a couplet of two short sentences written on red papers, and then glued them on each side of the front door. The sentences are generally associated with good wishes and wisdom words. This is not only considered as a welcoming note to the guests, but also was hoped to bring good fortune in the new year.

5. Cleaning the house
Cleaning is part of the decoration as well. And trust me, it's actually the most important part. In Chinese culture, it's believed that cleaning your home inside out before the new year comes would get rid of all the bad luck. However, you should put all the cleaning equipments off sight after the new year countdown because cleaning on the first day of new year is believed will sweep your luck away. 








Anyway, you might think some of these are quite superstitious, but at the end of day, it's all about embracing a fresh beginning with warm and pleasant decorations. Hope after reading this post, you have learnt something interesting about Chinese New Year. :)

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Celebrate Chinese New Year with Hot Pot

Welcome to the third episode of {Get Ready For CNY14 With Sasha}. In the first and second chapter we talked about Beauty and Fashion, and today, I'd like to share a very special kind of Chinese food with you- Hot Pot!

We went to a very popular Asian supermarket in Toronto to purchase all the foods, sauces, and soup bases we needed for this meal. Want to know what hot pot is? What do you need to buy? And how to cook it? You can go ahead and watch the video we put together. Hope you will enjoy it! :)

亲们,再过几天就是春节了,想必大家都想好年夜饭要吃些什么了吧?会邀几个朋友来家里吃火锅吗?还是会出去大餐一顿呢?不管你的大年三十怎么过,都希望大家在那晚吃得开心!:)Chinese-New-Year, Hot-Pot, Chinese-Fondue, Food, Cuisine, meal





Usually during Chinese New Year, many Asian supermarkets would set up a special section just for Hot Pot. So you can most likely find everything and anything you need in that corner, including the special-made pot, meat, meat balls, seafood, vegetable, sauces and much more. I really hope this post will inspire you to give hot pot a try.

Good luck and have fun! :)

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Celebrate Chinese New Year with RED

Welcome to the 2nd episode of {Get Ready For CNY14 With Sasha}. In the first episode, I shared a CNY beauty look that I created by using many of my favourite Benefit Cosmetics. Today, I'd like to continue to embrace the holiday spirit with the shade of red.

My original plan was wearing a traditional Chinese dress called Qi Pao. But then I figured the couture dress is not really practical for every day life, so I decided to let different layers and some hints of red play an ensemble. 

欢迎来到{与肖洒一起准备春节}特别专栏的第二集。在第一集里,我跟亲们分享了一个用我很喜欢的一些贝琳妃化妆品打造出来的妆容。而今天呢,我就希望能延续红色所带来的节日气氛。本来啊,我是想穿旗袍的,但是后来觉得太隆重了,不太适合每天的日常生活。所以就决定搭配一套比较适合冬天又有红色点缀的着装。
Leather-Jacket, Hot-Pink-Blazer, Lace-Skirt, Red-Shoes, Balloon
LeChateau-Gloves, Black-Leather-Jacket, Club-Monaco-Blazer, Winter-Outfit

Lace-Skirt, Pink-Blazer, LeChateau-Gloves, Black-Leather-Jacket, Winter-Outfit
Red-Balloon, Black-Leather-Jacket, Pink-Blazer, Fashion-Blogger
When I was little, my mom would buy a brand new outfit from head to toe for me before Chinese New Year as she hoped wearing something new and red would bring me some good luck in the upcoming year. Although I didn't really buy this superstitious thinking, I was still always excited about New Year since it was associated with new cloths, fresh beginning, and of course, some lucky money. 
  
当我很小的时候,我妈妈总是会在过春节之前就给我买一身新的红衣服,因为她希望这样能给我在新的一年里带来好运。尽管我不太相信这种迷信的做法会真的有什么用,但是因为过年总是有新衣服穿,又能拿到红包,所以我还是每年都很期待。

Thank you so much for stopping by!
感谢光临我的小博客!

Photography: Stephen Foks

Top: Haightand Ashbury (Canadian Design Clothing)
Blazer: Club Monaco (old, similar here | here)
Leather Jacket: Zara (old, similar herehere )
Skirt: Club Monaco (old, similar here | here)
Shoes: Payless Shoes (buy one get one 50% off)
Gloves: Le Chateau (current)




Monday, January 27, 2014

Celebrate Chinese New Year as A Benebabe+ {Giveaway}

Hi all,

Welcome to the first episode of our five-day feature: {Get Ready for CNY14 with Sasha}. In today's post, I'd like to share with you a glamourous Chinese New Year look that takes you less than 15 minutes with many of my all-time favourite products from Benefit Cosmetics.

And the most exciting part of this is that you could win ALL the Benefit products I used in this post and to create your own CNY look. Isn't it cool? Okay, let's get started!

亲们,
欢迎来到第一集{与肖洒一起准备2014春节}的特别专栏。在今天呢,我会跟大家分享一个只需要花费不到15分钟就能打造出来的性感妆容。而且,我使用的绝大部分化妆品都是来自我最爱的贝铃妃。更值得高兴的是啊,你们可以赢得这些贝玲妃的化妆品哦。诱人吧?好了,废话不多说,开始动工吧。
Benefit-Cosmetics, Chinese-New-Year-2014-Look, Get-Ready-With-Me

Benefit-Cosmetics, Makeups, That-Gal, Face-Brightening-Primer, Pretty




















































                                                            Primer

"That Gal" Face Primer gotta be one of my most favourite products from Benefit. Not only its lovely strawberry smell could lighten up your morning blues, but the silky texture could really smooth your face and get it ready for the next step. When I don't feel like putting too much make-up on, I'd just wear a BB cream on top of this primer. And trust me, the result is unbelievable.

贝玲妃的这款打底霜可谓是我的最爱了。不仅它草莓般的香味能让你郁闷的早上变得更愉悦之外,它细致的质地还能让你的肌肤充分做好下一步的准备。一般我就会在这款打底霜的基础上,涂上一层BB霜。相信我,这样的搭配绝对不错!
                                                      Foundation + Powder
I'm not really a heavy-duty foundation girl, so this Flawless Oil-free Foundation and Cover-up Powder perfectly work for me. 
因为我平常不太喜欢涂太厚的粉底和粉饼,所以这款贝玲妃的无暇系列特别适合我。涂上脸还是感觉相当轻盈的。
Benefit-Cosmetics-Products, Hello-Flawless-Powder, Cover-Up-For-Face

Benefit-Cosmetics-Products, Hello-Flawless-Custom-Cover-Up-Powder, Face

Black-eyeliner, pencil, Cosmetics-Products, Stiler
Benefit-Cosmetics-Products, Black-Mascara, they-are-real, make-ups
Benefit-Cosmetics-Products, They-Are-Real-Mascara, Black

                                                              Mascara
I have been living and loving this Benefit "They are Real" Mascara for the past couple of weeks. As I don't have long and thick eyelashes, this mascara really does its job after 2 or 3 coats.
这段时间我一直都在用这款睫毛膏。由于我没有很浓密,翘长的睫毛,这款睫毛膏细致的头部很易适用,涂了两三层后,会很明显地感觉到睫毛变长了。嘻嘻
Benefit-Cosmetics-Products, Benetint, Ros-tinted, Blush, Lip-Cheek-Stain, Red

                                                                    Blush
Benetint and Dandelion Blush are my all-time fav. and the secrete weapons to a healthier looking skin.
相信很多亲都对贝玲妃的玫瑰胭脂水和蒲公英粉不陌生吧。你不仅可以涂在两颊,而且还可以涂嘴唇,甚至是全脸。能让你的脸有宝宝般晶莹透亮的感觉。总之,皮肤看起来嫩嫩的啦。
Benefit-Cosmetics-Products, Make-ups, Dandelion-Powder, pink-blush

benefit-Cosmetics-Product, That-Gal-Primer, Brighten-Up, Make-up
Revlon-Balm-Stain, Deep-Red, Burgundy, Lipstick, Crayon, Make-Up, Cosmetics
                                                                     Lip
Chinese New Year is all about the shade of RED. How can I resist this colour that represents luck, passion and celebration? So I choose to emphasize my lip by using the magical Revlon ColorBurst Lip Balm
中国的春节可谓是大街小巷都布满了红色。我怎么能对这种代表着幸运,热情和喜庆的颜色说不呢?所以我决定选择着重于唇部的颜色。
NYX-Lip-Liner-Pencil, Revlon-Balm-Stain, Deep-Red, Make-up, Lipstick, Cosmetics
Chinese-New-Year-2014-Look, Red-Lipstick, Sexy-and-Glamour, Umbrella
Voila! This is my Chinese New Year look. Do you like it? (Please say yes. LOL) 
You could actually win ALL the products below (Mr.Panda is not included though) to create your own masterpiece. Excited? Please follow the Rafflecopter description below.

好了,这就是我今年春节的妆容了。你们喜欢吗?(拜托说喜欢啦,哈哈)
你们只要根据下面的要求,就可以赢得以下所有的化妆品哦!对,你没有看错,所有的化妆品!(不过,熊猫先生不算哦!)
Benefit-Cosmetics-Giveaway, Make-ups, Eye-Brown, Foundation, Powder, Eyelashes

Benefit-Cosmetics-Products, Giveaway, Whats-Up, Dandelion-Powder, Benetint
Moreover, not only you could win all these products, there are more than just that. Benefit Cosmetics will be celebrating Chinese New Year at five locations across Canada, and they really hope you can join them. Details here
另外,你不仅可以获得这些化妆品,而且如果你在加拿大的话,还有机会与贝琳妃一起欢度春节呢。详情在这里

Have fun and good luck! :)
祝大家好运!

Photography: Stephen Foks
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Layers

Hi everyone,

Chinese New Year 2014 is around the corner. Do you know how to celebrate it like a real Chinese? What to buy? What food to cook? (Chinese take-outs don't count) How to lighten up your home with some Chinese spirit? And, what does the Year of Horse represent?

Well, starting from this Friday. We will be doing a series of feature: "Get Ready for CNY14 with Sasha". Stay tuned and make sure to come back to visit the blog. And before then, stay warm! :)

亲们,
春节已经近在咫尺了?你们大家准备怎么过呢?从这周五开始,我们将会与大家分享一下咱中国人一般都是怎么过年的。如果你也想参与的话,请别忘了继续关注我的博客哦。那在这之前,就请亲们注意防寒吧!
Statement-Necklace, Faux-Fur-Vest, Blue-Black-Blazer, Print-Trousers
JCREW-Silk-Top, Fuax-Fur-Vest, LeChateau-Gloves, Forever21-Blue-Black-Blazer
JCrew-Purple-Silk-Top, Statement-Necklace, Faux-Fur-Vest, Snake-Skin-Print-Clutch

Snake-Skin-Print-Clutch, Lechateau-Black-Gloves, Faux-Fur-Vest

White-Flower-Statement-Necklace, Jcrew-Silk-Top, Faux-Fur-Vest, Black-Gloves




Thank you so much for reading! Hope can see you all in our Chinese New Year 2014 special series!

Photography: Stephen Foks 

Top: J.Crew (on sale here with code "FunSale")
Blazer: Forever 21 (old, similar here | here)
Faux Fur Vest: Club Monaco (old, similar here)
Shoes: Le Chateau (old, identical here | here | here)
Trousers: Urban Outfitters (similar here | here)
Necklace: Expression through Hudson's Bay (get it here)
Gloves: Le Chateau
Clutch: H&M

Monday, January 20, 2014

Guerlain Orchidee Imperiale Collection + {Giveaway}

 

This past Saturday, I was luckily invited to enjoy a very informative conference about orchid at Guerlain's Toronto Boutique on Bloor ST. Not only did I take away many samples to try, but also the beautiful stories of orchid.

I've already heard plenty of good things about Guerlain prior to this even, but due to the price range, I've never dared to pull the trigger and to give it a shot. I believe many of you out there have been wondering the same thing as me. Is it worth the money? Should I buy it? So starting from tonight, I will give the collection a try. And once I'm done, I will share my experience and opinion with you. So stay tuned!

刚刚过去的这个周六,我有幸被邀请到法国娇兰在多伦多Bloor大街上的店铺里,去听听关于御庭兰花背后的故事。尽管之前娇兰在中国国内一直很吃香,但由于它的价格比较贵,所以我一直都不敢买来尝试。不过,这次感谢娇兰送了一些适用品,这样我就可以开始用用看了。它真的值得买吗?用完了,我会立马跟大家分享哦。敬请期待吧!




While you are waiting for me to test out the products, I'd like to thank you all for being on this journey with us. Your support, your patience, and your feedback are all very important to us. So, we are having a Giveaway on the blog today! Yeah!!! 
You could win a Guerlain Maxi Lash Mascara (Retail Price: CAD$32). 
It's very easy to enter. Please follow the direction below. And by sharing this giveaway and tagging #SaGiveAway on Twitter, you will receive an extra point. 
Good luck everyone!

在你们等待我测试这个系列的同时,我很想感谢你们陪我们一路走来。你的支持,耐心,和建议都是我们成长的重要元素。所以,我们今天有好礼放送啦!你只要跟着下面Rafflecopter的程序走,就有机会赢得这个价值32加币的娇兰睫毛膏啦。并且,如果你在Twitter上分享这个好礼赠送的消息,并且加#SaGiveAway,还会赢得特别的一分哦!
祝大家好运吧!




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

From Runway To Your Doorway- Peter Pilotto For Target

YES, another partnership between luxury brands and affordable retailers is once again happening, and this time, the story of collaboration is being written by Target and the British high-end label: Peter Pilotto
Peter-Pilotto-SS14-Spring-Summer-2014-Collection-Runway
The successful stories of 3.1 Philip Lim for Target, Isabel Marant for H&M,  and many more have really showed how charming this idea is. Let's face it. How many people can afford a $5000 dress? How many people can wear a high-end draping garment to work? So how to translate the runway glamour to a everyday wardrobe piece has been the question many designers are asking themselves about and the challenge they are willing to take on . And if they do a good job, this transformation is for sure a win-win, (well, maybe an everybody-wins), situation for both the designer brands and the retailers. AND of course, the shoppers. 

是的,昂贵品牌和便宜零售商店合作的童话再次上演了。这一次,英国高档品牌Peter Pilotto会专门为美国塔吉特公司设计一系列特别限量版的衣服。近来,许多高档品牌与大众商家合作的案例越来越多,也使得许多人相信这种合作方式是一个明智的选择。老实说,有多少人买得起5000美金的裙子呢?有多少人能穿着超级高贵的碰碰裙去上班呢?所以吧,这些高端品牌的设计师逐渐面临着如何将T台上的光鲜靓丽转化成日常衣着的挑战。再说啦,这不仅对设计品牌,商家,还是顾客来说,都是有利的。
peter-Pilotto-Target, from-runway-to-your-doorway
To be honest, I was't very familiar with Peter Pilotto. So I had to do a little research. It's a high-end European brand based in London. Its famous for wild range of mixing and matching prints and patterns to create feminine and loyal looks. In this limited collection for Target, Peter Pilotto continues its unique classic take on elegance with a little more playful and fun elements to it. I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of its swimwear, but are totally coveting some beautiful dresses and shirts. 

不瞒你们说,我在之前对这个牌子并不是太了解。所以我就上网搜寻了一下。这个欧洲品牌,以它对各种图案花纹的搭配和组合而获得了全世界的不少呼声。它的服饰主打营造女性般的高贵和贵族气质。而在这个特别系列中,它不仅延续了这个风格,还同时加入了一些调皮可爱的元素。我对这个系列里的泳装并不太感冒,但是很多裙子,上衣都已经列入到我的购物清单里了。 
Peter-Pilotto-target, floral-dress, Spring-summer-collection, limited-edition peter-pilotto-target, black-and-white, limited-edition
Peter-Pilotto-Target, Floral-dress-shirt, yellow-black, Spring-Summer-2014

Peter-Pilotto-Target, Sweatshirt, Spring-Summer-2014

Peter-Pilotto-Target, moto-jacket, blazer, green-blue-black, Spring-Summer-2014

Peter-Pilotto-Target, black-and-white, swimwear, Spring-Summer-2014

Peter-Pilotto-Target, purple-black, swimwear, bag, Spring-Summer-2014

Peter-Pilotto-Target, jumpsuit, floral, short, Spring-Summer-2014

Peter-Pilotto-Target, tan-top, floral, blank-and-white-shorts, Spring-Summer-2014
Get ready, girls! The collection will be available on February 9th in both Target stores and online. You can also purchase them on Net-a-Porter. Come on, Valentine's Day is around the corner, I bet you can find the perfect piece just for that special occasion. And hey gents, hope now you all have some gift ideas for her?

亲们,你们准备好了嘛?这个系列将于2月9号在塔吉特商店和网上同时进行销售。并且可以到Net-a-Porter网上进行购买。情人节就快到了,我相信你们一定能选到那件适合你的衣服或裙子。而男生们啊,也可以考虑为心爱的她买点什么吧。