Category Archives: Top Five

Each month I have a list of things I’d like to try, including fashion accessories, beauty products, gel nail design, and etc., This 5 Things to Try This Month category has a collection of my monthly columns on the top five things I’d like to share with you.

All Posts, Beauty, Holidays, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – December 2018

12/05/2018 Shirley

I always have mixed feelings about December. It’s the month for joyful celebrations, which I love. But it’s also the end of the year, which could be a bit depressing (because the year went by too fast). Nevertheless, there are still many things I want to do before the year ends.

See below for my list of things to do this month.

Nespresso Holiday Coffee

Each year I look forward to Nespress’ holiday limited-edition coffee and espresso drinks. Last year, Nespresso offered three different holiday coffee flavors: peppermint, banana, and cherry. This year, Nespresso offers several blended coffee with coconut flavor (Exotic Macaron), almond flavor (Paris Madeleine), hazelnut flavor (Paris Praliné).
As always, I love their fancy coffee capsule designs. They add more festival vibes to the holiday season.

(Picture taken with Nespresso’s new Orange Biscuits and holiday coffee capsules. The biscuits are delicious and perfect with Nespresso coffee.)

Enchant Christmas Seattle

Enchant Christmas is a holiday lights festival which began in Vancouver, B.C., Canada a couple of years ago. It’s coming to Seattle’s Safeco Field this holiday season. The festival will have Christmas light maze, ice skating trail, Christmas market, live entertainment, and more. I am looking forward to seeing all the holiday lights!

Sequins for Holidays

One of the fun things about the holiday season is attending celebration events. It’s always fun to look for new outfits and accessories for different occasions. I think something with glitters is the must-have! Click here for more details.

(Saint Laurent Loulou Glitter Bootie in my favorite purple color.)

New Everyday Lipstick

I always bring at least one lipstick (for touch-up) with me when I leave the house. But last week I forgot to bring a lipstick when I met with my friend for lunch. It felt really weird to be out and about without any lip colors on me, so my friend and I went to shop for new lipsticks at the mall. Most of my lipsticks are in fuchsia, pink, and red colors, so I picked a new one which is a more neutral color.

(GIORGIO ARMANI’s Lip Maestro Lip Stain)

New Dietary Supplement

I’ve never though about taking extra dietary supplements as part of my daily regimen. For years, one of my best friends has tried to convince me to take the dietary supplement she likes to improve wellness and skincare. After years of persuasion by my friend, I finally decided to give it a try starting this month. I am looking forward to see if the supplement really works for me.

(BeautyGlo – dietary supplement to increase skin firmness and radiance.)

All Posts, Beauty, Top Five, Travel

5 Things to Try This Month – November 2018

11/25/2018 Shirley

November is a busy month for me. Not only do I have many friends visiting from out of town, I also have several small trips lined up for the month. Below are some of the things I am doing in November.

Pat McGrath Blitztrance Lipsticks

It was just last month that I bought Pat McGrath’s new eyeshadow, Mothership V: Bronze Seduction Palette and Mothership Subversive Metalmorphosis eye shadow. Now, she has released eight new Blitztrance Lipsticks, which are part of her holiday 2018 collection. The new Blitztrance lipsticks are made with glitters and comes in a shiny bullet case. For someone who really likes glitters, it’s really hard for me to resist these new beauty products.

Out of the eight available colors, I bought three – Fuchsia Perfect (bright pink with blue and pink pearl), Cyber Orchid (pink with blue pearl), and Rebel Red (red with copper pink pearl). The Fuchsia Perfect is perfect for everyday wear, including work. Both Cyber Orchid and Rebel Red are ideal for dress-up and a night-out. I will have plenty of chance to use them this holiday season.

Pat McGrath Blitztrance Lipsticks — Pat McGrath’s Holiday Blitztrance Lipsticks

YSL National Makeup Artist Event

Nordstrom hosts many beauty brand’s national makeup artist events throughout the year. Last Saturday I went to the YSL’s beauty event and met YSL’s Director of Makeup Artistry, Dell Ashley. Typically, at such national beauty event, each makeup artist will work on a customer’s makeup (by appointment only) while the national makeup artists will go around and touch up the customer’s makeup and giving tips on how to improve the beauty look. Dell is really good at making intensified eye makeup.

Girls Trip to Palm Springs

My friends and I just got back from our Palm Springs trip. It was a special celebration for my dear friend who’s expecting her first baby. There were a total of eleven girls, which was the largest group I’ve ever traveled with. The four day trip to the Palm Springs was perfect; plenty of time for relaxation, good food, and excellent time with the girls.

2018 Palm Springs Group Picture — 2018 Palm Springs Girls Trip

Nordstrom Holiday Shopping Event

Nordstrom is hosting a holiday shopping event this Sunday. Two good things about most of Nordstrom’s shopping events are that the store will be less crowded (private event) and there will be free champagne (and light refreshment). In my opinion, shopping under champagne “influence” is one of the fun group activities you can do with friends.

Accessories for Del Mar Trip

Some good friends of mine are going to the Del Mar Racing in San Diego in the beginning of December. They have invited me to join them for the weekend trip. This will be my first time going to a horse racing event and visiting Del Mar. I am very excited for the trip and can’t wait to shop for my vacation outfits.
(We will be staying at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar. Picture from the Fairmont web site.)

All Posts, Beauty, Fashion, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – October 2018

10/25/2018 Shirley

When I think of October, I think about the colorful tree leaves in the Pacific Northwest. Many of the trees that are green in Spring and Summer will slowly turn into different shades of brown, red, and yellow. And as we get close to the end of October, you will see the leaves falling like dripping rain throughout the day.

This beautiful natural scenery reminds me that a year has gone by and it’s time to get ready for a new season. There are many things I am doing this month, including getting new fashion accessories and getting a new bold gel nail color.

See below for my monthly column for October, 5 Things to Try This Month.

Reminiscent Classical Design

Many of the fashion designer houses are reinventing their classic logo and signature designs. I’ve been looking for a small cross body bag in silver. What could be better than a Gucci quilted leather crossbody bag with its signature red and green webbed stripe!

Shirley Style in Rag and Bone Overalls And Gucci Cross Body Bag

Winter Boots

October is the perfect time to update your wardrobe and purchase new boots for Fall. I am really into suede boots this season. Because the rainy season will begin in Seattle, soon, right now it’s the perfect time to break in my new Stuart Weitzman suede boots without worrying about any puddles of water on the ground.

New Gel Nail Color

I love red gel nails so much that I’ve been getting mine done in red two months in a row. For the month of October, I had the urge of being bold and pick a new nail color. I just got it done yesterday in neon orange color with white glitters and crystals. This will be perfect for the Halloween and my upcoming Palm Springs trip.

New Eyeshadow

I love glitter eye shadows. Pat McGrath is one of my favorite makeup artists and she just released some new eye shadow palettes, including her signature Mothership (V: Bronze Seduction Palette). I can’t wait to put them on for my next dinner event.

Piano Concert

Richard Clayderman is one of my favorite piano artists. I learned how to play many of his songs when I was a child. I am looking forward to his concert in Seattle, at the Benaroya Hall. Listening to him playing in-person is one of the items on my bucket list!

Shirley Style Monthly Column – 5 Things to Try This Month – October 2018

All Posts, Fashion, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – September 2018

09/13/2018 Shirley

After a couple of hot weeks in the Northwest, Seattle’s temperature finally cooled down. Although we are reaching the end of the Summer season, there are still things I want to do before the Fall.

Cook for My Mom’s Birthday Celebration

My mom’s birthday is in September. I want to throw her a birthday celebration at home and cook her dinner. I am still trying to decide what to make for the appetizers and cook for the main courses, but for sure I will make a new dish I learned, clams with white wine, tomatoes, and sausage.

New Foundation and Primer

I recently ran out of my foundation and had to look for a new one. I wanted a lightweight texture with hydrating elements. The Nordstrom sales associate suggested that I try Guerlain’s Perfecting Météorites Primer and the Lingerie de Peau’ Fluid Foundation (in the shade of 00N-Porcelaine). The result of using these two products on my face is great; my skin feels hydrated and looks smooth. Since we are moving towards the Fall (when my skin gets much drier), I feel confident that these new beauty products will work well for me.

Peachy Lipsticks

Peachy lip color beauty products are perfect for warm weather! My usual preferred lip makeup products are in pink, fuchsia, and red, but I want to try some peachy colors before the Summer is fully over! My two new peachy lipsticks are Sexy Sienna (luminous matte texture) and Coachella Coral (K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipsticks) by Charlotte Tilbury, one of my favorite makeup artists.

I’ve been using these two new peachy lipsticks everyday. And sometimes I would add the Dior Ultra-gloss (bright pink glittery lip gloss in color 686-Fancy) over them for a glamourous night look!

Summer Water Activity

It has been years since I did a water jet ski. Since we are getting closer to the end of the season, my friends and I want to go water jet ski by the lake.

Gel Nail Color

I usually try to alternate between red gel nail color and something else each month. But this month I decided to get red glitters like last month. When it comes to certain things, I am a creature of habit; as long as there’s red color, glitters and crystals on my nails, I am happy!

(Picture from Salon Lulu.)

All Posts, Beauty, Fashion, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – August 2018

08/13/2018 Shirley

Summer is a popular wedding season. It’s no surprise that my best friend is choosing August to have her wedding. After a few weeks of searching for the prefect dress to wear to her big day, I finally found mine.

Below are a couple of other things I plan on doing in August.

New Beauty Product

I am currently running low on my existing eye cream. I’ve been hearing some nice things about Estee Lauder’s new eye cream, Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex Synchronized Recovery. This product contains hyaluronic acid and Estee Lauder’s ChronoluxCB ingredient to help promote skin’s natural repair process. The price for this new eye cream is relatively inexpensive compared to other high-end skin care products I’ve been using; therefore, it’s worth it to me to give it a shot for experimental reasons.

(Estee Lauder Eye Cream)

Dress for Friend’s Wedding

My dear friend’s wedding is less than two weeks away. I finally found the perfect dress (Self-portrait Embroidered Mesh Dress) for me to attend her wedding. I just ordered it and can’t wait to receive it, soon I hope!

(My New Dress for My Friend’s Wedding)

Gel Nails

After last month’s girly light pink and iris gel nail color, it’s time to go back to my favorite red glitter nail color. Since we are still in the Summer season, my gel nail artist added golden seashells and sea stars to the finish look.

(picture of the red gel nails)

Baking for Fun

The other day I came across a baking recipe for the Almond-Orange Pound Cake from Williams Sonoma web site. The idea of a dessert with both almond and orange seems very refreshing for the hot season. I plan on trying out the recipe this weekend!

Wine and Cheese Party

I got invited to a Wine and Cheese Party for this weekend. The event is hosted by some friends at their home. Although they told me I don’t have to bring anything, but I plan on brining a bottle of my favorite Long Shadows red wine. The question will be which red wine to bring!

(Long Shadows Red Wine – Feather Cabernet Sauvignon)

All Posts, Fashion, Top Five, Travel

5 Things to Try This Month – July 2018

07/24/2018 Shirley

July is a great month for me. Workwise, I just finished a project that I’d worked on for months and can take a few days break before I go into the planning mode for the next one. Personal-wise, I get to enjoy the 4th of July with my nieces and go Disneyland park hopping with them.

Below are a few of other things that I will do this month.

Making Flan

My nieces have been my big fans when it comes to eating the desserts I make. The flan is one of their favorites. While my elder niece spent her Summer with me, I made flan for her many times. Each flan is about nine inches and she can literally eat more than two-thirds of it per day! Nothing makes me happier than when she enjoys the things I make for her!

(My homemade flan covered with berries.)

Homegrown Mushrooms

Last week my mom and I visited our local Farmer’s Market and bought some home-grown mushroom kits for both baby oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms. This is our first time growing mushrooms at home and the idea seems exciting. It only has been five days since we started the mushroom kit and we already have seen a great result on one of the kits. Just in a few days, we will be able to taste our first mushroom harvest!

(My homegrown shiitake mushrooms.)

Disneyland Park Hopping

In the beginning of July, I am taking my niece back to CA. Since it’s a holiday weekend, we are going to Disneyland park! My brother’s family lives in Orange County, so we’ve never considered staying in the hotel at Disneyland. However, this time my brother’s family and I will check-in to the Disneyland hotel the day prior to our visit to the Disneyland parks and take the advantage of the “Extra Magical Hour” opportunity to get into the parks one hour before they open to the general entry. We will also do the park hopping between Disneyland and the California Adventure theme parks.

(Disney California Adventure Park.)

Girly Gel Nails

While my niece was enjoying her Summer vacation with me in Seattle, I took her with me to my gel nails appointment. Initially I was concerned that she might be bored sitting in the nail salon with me for one and a half hour, but I was glad to see her wanting to participate in selecting the nail colors for me. After scanning through the gel nail magazines, she picked the combination of light pink and light iris colors with glitters for me. Since we were going to Disneyland in a few days, the color and the design of my new gel nails are perfect for the occasion!

Dress for Summer Wedding

July is a popular wedding month in Summer. I need to look for a new dress for a wedding I am going to. Since floral patterns are in vogue, I want to pick one with a floral design that would be perfect for the wedding reception. I think it will take a lot of work to fine the ideal dress.

(Floral Printed Dress by Zimmernann.)

All Posts, Fashion, Top Five, Travel

5 Things to Try This Month – June 2018

06/27/2018 Shirley

June is the beginning of the Summer season. I am excited for a couple of trips I have lined up for this month.

Business Trip

Las Vegas is one of my favorite getaway places, even during the hot summer season. I will be there on business and I plan to find time to visit my friend who lives there. Las Vegas is a great place to mix business and pleasure and I got a new outfit for the business part.

Outfit for the Business Trip in Las Vegas

New Restaurant Spago

One of my go-to lunch place at the Bellagio Hotel, Olives, has been closed since the beginning of this year. I am very glad that Wolfgang Puck’s Spago restaurant will be open at where Olives restaurant used to be. During my June trip to Las Vegas, I will definitely check out the new Spago restaurant.

Fettuccine with Wild Mushrooms from the Spago Restaurant

Seattle Great Wheel

After my business trip to Las Vegas I will go to CA to pick up my seven year-old niece and bring her back to Seattle with me. She will be staying with me for three weeks. One of the things I’d like to try with her is to ride on the Seattle Great Wheel. The Seattle Great Wheel is the tallest Ferris wheel (175 feet) on the West Coast of the United States. I hope my niece will get a thrill on the ferris wheel, which is bigger then most of the ferris wheels in CA.

Seattle Great Wheel at Night

Red Gel Nails

After last month’s hot pink gel nail with multi-color glitters, I am ready to go back to my favorite red. This time I have gold glitters and Swarovski crystals over the red gel nails. I also have a gold embroidery stickers over both ring fingers.

Red Glitter Gel Nail for June

Father’s Day Afternoon Tea

Since my niece is with us this month, she gets to celebrate Father’s Day with my dad. Along with the usual dining celebration, I put together a afternoon tea in our backyard. The weather on Father’s Day was very nice and it was perfect for our event.

Father’s Day Afternoon Tea in our Backyard

All Posts, Fashion, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – May 2018

05/19/2018 Shirley

May is a busy and exciting month for me. I get to celebrate Mother’s Day with my mom, attend events and workshops, and more. Below are some of the things I plan on doing this month!

Mother’s Day Gift

It’s always hard to find a good Mother’s Day gift for my mom. For this year, I am going to take her out for a Mother’s Day brunch at the Six Seven seafood restaurant in the Edgewater hotel, by the Seattle Waterfront. I also got her some flowers and new facial masks, including the new Lancôme Advanced Génifique Hydrogel Melting Sheet Mask.
I heard that this facial mask is full of hydrating serums and it will make skin looks radiant and improve the appearance of fine lines. I can’t wait to see the result of this facial mask on my mom.

New Eyeshadows

Pat McGrath is one of my favorite makeup artists. I really like her makeup products, especially the Mothership eyeshadows and the glitter lip beauty products. Recently she launched new eyeshadow pallets for Spring, including the Mothership Subversive La Vie en Rose pallet. This eyeshadow pallet has six shades; the colors include gold, purple and bright pink. The La Vie en Rose eyeshadow pallet is perfect for Spring and Summer.

New Gel Nail Design

For the month of May, I want to change my gel nail color from red to hot pink. (For some reason, the hot pink color seems suitable for the season.) Back in January, I had hot pink gel nails with Swarovski crystals and silver glitters partially covered each nail. This time, I chose the same hot pink gel nail color, and my nail artist arranged the Swarovski crystals differently than last time and used multi-color glitters to fully covered each nail (instead of partially in January).

Fashion Show

In May, the Metropolitan Fashion Week organization is hosting a fashion show at the Seattle Art Museum. Unlike most fashion shows that focus mainly on the current fashion trends and styles, the Metropolitan Fashion Week shows focus more on the costume design. (Each year, the Metropolitan Fashion Week hosts its shows in three cities: Hollywood, Las Vegas, and Seattle.) This year will be my first time attending the Metropolitan Fashion Week, and I am looking forward to the fashion show and the after party!

Painting Workshop

A friend of mine owns a wine tasting room, Great Wine. She’s hosting a ukelele painting workshop this month with wine tasting. I’ve done some wine and painting on regular canvas, but I’ve never drawn on an musical instrument before. I am looking forward to the exciting event!

All Posts, Beauty, Fashion, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – April 2018

04/30/2018 Shirley

In the Pacific Northwest area, it’s common if it doens’t always feel like we are in the Spring season until we are long into April. And April is the perfect time to adopt some Spring elements to spice up our daily life. For example, getting some butterfly-inspired jewelries, trying new pink lipstick products, and getting a new pair of sunglasses.

Below are some of my suggestions for this month!

Spring Jewelry

When I think about Spring, I think about blossoms, flowers and butterflies. And for this season, Swarovski released a butterfly-inspired Lilia Ring Set in multi-colors and Rose gold plating. This ring set comes with three rings in different size (bigger, medium, and small) with different colors of crystals. You can interchange the ways you wear the rings to your liking. I prefer to wear the bigger ring and small ring on one hand and the medium ring on another. Or wearing just one of them to match with specific outfit colors.

Dior’s New Lip Product

Dior released a new long-lasting liquid lipstick, Dior Addict Lacquer Plump. This new lip beauty product from Dior comes in 16 shades, and I bought four: Dior Pretty (neutral pink color), Afterparty (raspberry color), Dior Fever (fuchsia color), and Disco Dior (pink color with glitters). After wearing them for a couple of times, my thoughts on the Dior Addict Lacquer Plump are: it is lightweight on my lips, the liquid lipstick colors are pretty and stay on my lips while I eat and drink, it’s hydrating when I first put it on, but my lips get dried after a while. I’d need to put on my Dior Lip Maximizer to keep my lips moisturized. Overall, I like the new Dior Addict Lacquer Plump and give it a thumbs up!

Cat Eye Sunglasses

If you are looking for a new pair of sunglasses for the season, you might want to consider a pair of cat-eye design sunglasses (instead of the oversized sunglasses). In my opinion, sunglasses are one of the accessories that I could never have too many of. To match with your outfits and styles, you will need sunglasses in different shades, frames, and materials.

Saint Laurent New Wave 215 Grace sunglasses

Luxury Goods History

Recently, a friend mentioned a book, Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster. It is about how luxury fashion goods were transformed from wealthy elites privileged to the general public accessible, and how globalization enables the expansion of the luxury products in terms of production and marketing. I am only on the first few chapters, but I am already fascinated with the history of the fashion houses and how they transitioned from family-owned private shops to the multi-billion dollar conglomerate-owned fashion labels. Reading such book with extensive fashion luxury history really helps me to appreciate the evolution of business.

Red Gel Nails

After last month’s light green glitter gel nails, I am back to my usual favorite red glitter gel nails with Swarovski crystals. Even though I get red color gel nails about six times out of the year, my gel nail artist does a great job on making design changes on the Swarovski crystals she put on my nails each time. For this month, she put a large and three small crystals on eight fingers, and a gold color wire kiss with a small crystal on two fingers.

All Posts, Fashion, Food, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – March 2018

04/02/2018 Shirley

March is the beginning of Spring and it’s time to try new nail colors, new coffee, and a new cuisine. See below for the things I am doing this month.

Enjoy the New Nespresso Double Espresso

I am always looking out for Nespresso’s new coffee flavors. This month they released two new capsules (Double Espresso Chiaro and Double Espresso Scuroin) for the Vertuo system machine. I tried it at home and it’s delicious, especially with some frothed milk.

Switch to Green Nail Color

For this month (St. Patrick’s Day and beginning of Spring), I am switching from my all-time favorite red gel nail color to green. Instead of the dark green color, I got a light green color with glitters and Swarovski crystals. I love my new gel nail color and I think it’s perfect for everyday this month!

Break Into Light Color Shoes

Since we are in the beginning of Spring I can start breaking in the light color shoes I bought for the warm seasons. One of my recent favorites for casual attire is Puma’s Glitter Platform Sneaker in Gray Metallic. Unlike most of the glitter shoes I have, these Puma glitters are sealed under a glossy coat, so you won’t see individual glitters falling off.

Valentino

Update Work Wardrobes

With the starting of a new job, I plan to update my work wardrobes with more dresses. Among the brands I like, The Kooples, offers many dresses that are perfect for work and I can wear from morning to Happy Hour.
For example, the The Kooples’ Contrast-Collar Lace-Inset Mini Dress I recently got would be perfect for the office, if I wear it with a sweater cardigan and flat ballerina shoes (with short heels). After work, I can skip the cardigan and switch into a pair of stilettos. This is an ideal dress that takes you from day to night!

Experience a New Cuisine

I like to try food that I’ve never tasted before. This month my friends introduced me to the Kabul Afghan Cuisine restaurant in Seattle. We had kababs combination, which includes chicken, lamb, beef, grilled eggplants, Basmati rice, and Afghan Bread. All the food we had at the restaurant was delicious, but I liked the beef and the rice the best! We finished our meal with the dessert, Ferni, a custard pudding flavored with cardamom and rosewater, and topped with ground pistachios.

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Shirley Style Monthly Column – 5 Things to Try This Month – October 2018

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