Greetings from Vietnam everyone! 

I forget how difficult it is to update my blog while I'm here. With the turtle- speed internet connection and an adorable nephew trying to snuggle next to me, it's hard to get any work done. I'm fully aware of the long overdue blog post "Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016". I thought there is no better time to publish it than the first day of Lunar New Year (Lunar New Year is the first day of a secular, sacred, or other year whose months are coordinated by the cycles of the moon). That's when a New Year truly starts for us. 

2015 was really an exciting adventure for me. I made 6 resolutions last year on this blog and I'm proud to stay that I've accomplished 5 out of 6 resolutions and achieved many other things that were not on my list. Keep reading and you'll find out what they are. I published 118 blog posts last year, many of them are beauty-related posts as promised. From the WORK perspective, I had incredible opportunities to collaborate with some amazing brands last year.

Kicking 2015 off with a one-of-a-kind dinner with Grand Hyatt, a part of their global campaign #LivingGrand

and followed by a collaboration with JORD wood watch.

For the first time, I worked with an automobile brand and it's none other than Volvo. It was truly a surreal moment.

We went to Bali in April

visited Phuket in June and stayed at the Radisson Blu Phuket hotel.

We went back to Bali in July

and found our way to Perth in August for the first time.

Remember the Her world Plus Social Media Awards that I blogged about last month here, here and here? Voting period was over and the result was out. Believe it or not, I WON. Thank you so much for your votes and your kind support from the bottom of my heart. Thank you Forever21 for choosing me as your favorite choice. Six years ago, I was still dreaming of one day I could afford to buy some beautiful dresses from your store. Today, I achieved that dream in a way that I've never expected. 

Winning an award is pretty surreal whether it's big or small. It tells me that I'm doing something right and motivates me to be a better version of myself. You might not know this, but I did feel like giving up blogging many times. I felt like I was hitting against the wall and I was wasting my time. The blog wasn't moving to where I wanted it to be. It was frustrating. But when everything feels like the uphill struggle, thinking of the view from the top does help to push me forward. The panoramic view from the top is the biggest reward for those who can endure the climb. 

I wasn't climbing in this wide-leg pants, bare-back top and heels obviously. While I was shooting this outfit for Revolve Clothing two weeks ago, the view from where I was standing made me appreciate what I have in life and reminded me why I should work hard and never give up. I just wanted to share this positive vibe with you. I hope your dream will come true very soon. 

Thank you so much for reading! 

Photos: Navian Photography

::Outfit::

Marques Almeida open-back top- Thanks to Revolve Clothing

Zara wide-leg pants- Similar here

Chloe Drew handbag

Coach sunglasses- Other types here

Juicy Couture & Lovisa bracelets and rings- Similar here and here

It's been a long time since I left my blog nonupdated for more than 6 days. I wasn't going anywhere with limited connectivity, I just wanted to reward myself with a short break, not having to worry about deadlines, photoshoots, and new articles. If you take a look at my blog archive in 2015, I wrote 112 blog entries last year. That equals 112 weekends burned for outfit photoshoots and 112 nights that I had to sacrifice 2 to 3 hours of sleep for writing. The truth is having a full-time job while running an active fashion blog is extremely hard. I work during the days and blog mostly at nights or weekends. While I was enjoying every bit of it and I wouldn't mind sleeping less every night to fulfill my dream, I realized there were other things that I accidentally neglected while living in this digital world. My family, my Mr. Bear, and myself. 

Last 6 nights, I spent some quality time with Mr. Bear eating dinner at home, watching our favorite TV shows and going to bed early. I didn't feel tired in the morning because I had enough sleep, I woke up early in the weekend and spent more time with Mr. Bear instead of sleeping until noon and rushing out for a photo shoot. It was like a digital-detox time and it felt wonderful.  

Now that I'm back to the blogging business, it urges me to find a balance to keep my career, my passion, my health, and my love going. I wanted to start this year with a fresh and "green" page. This resonates with one of my New Year's resolutions, which will soon be revealed in the upcoming blog post, "Living life organically, one green outfit at a time". 

Thank you so much for reading!

Photos: Davin Wangsa 

::Outfit::

Lucluc blazer- Similar here

H&M white top- Similar here

Zara green denim jeans- Similar here

Dolce Gabbana sneakers & sunglasses

Saint Lauren Sac de Jour neon handbag 

Michael Kors watch

Gorjana necklace

Lovisa bracelet and rings- Similar here and here

To continue my story about discovering new brands via Revolve Clothing in this blog post, I'd like to introduce to you my recent find and latest obsession: Raye the Label. I've actually been eyeing on their shoes for a while and finally they landed in my closet. All thanks to Revolve Clothing!

I don't have problems in getting new shoes, but when I do, it's usually a "Choose this or that" situation. That's what I encountered whenever I'm on Revolve's website. It took me hours to decide which shoes I wanted to get from hundreds of options available. In the end, beige is the new black. I chose these gorgeous tan-colored suede heels. The rest is history.

When it comes to styling beige, tan, or neutral pieces, I tend to pair them with some bright colors to enlighten the whole outfit (Example here). This time, I changed my game plan and went for an (almost) all beige look. Except for my ultra-flare white skirt, I was decked head to toe in the earthy color tones: brown snakeskin shirt, olive colored sunglasses, beige leather bag, and tan suede heels.

By the way, did you see the brown lips? It was my FIRST TIME trying out this Fall color lipstick. I like it, but I'm not sure if it looks good on me. What do you think? Yay or Nay?

Thank you so much for reading!

Photos by: Davin Wangsa

::Outfit::

Altuzarra for Target python printed blouse- Similar here 

River Island white skirt- Similar here

Raye the label heels- Thanks to Revolve Clothing

Givenchy Antigona bag

Rayban sunglasses

Lovisa jewelry- Similar here

Since October last year, I had a chance to work with one of my favorite online shopping websites. It's Revolve Clothing. If you can still remember this amazing cutout dress that I wore at Vietnam Fashion Week, it was from them. Revolve always has many beautiful dresses that you can't find anywhere else. Trust me, I'd been shopping on their website long before they approached me. I did my research. 

Working with Revolve Clothing, I had an opportunity to learn about different brands on their website. NBD is one of them. I actually picked out quite a numbers of tops and dresses and most of them happened to be from NBD. I was first attracted to the feminine silhouettes, gorgeous prints, and amazing details on all of their designs. Then, I went on learning more about this label. The story that I found out about this brand inspires me so much. Here it goes! 

"She walks into a room and everyone notices. She exudes confidence and her energy is contagious. She never leaves home without her best accessory- her smile. Always clad in her favorite dress. You'll find this beauty front, center, and everywhere- the newest restaurant, an art gallery opening, the must-go-to club, and date nights with her boyfriend or best friends. She is the first to give a toast and the last to say goodnight. She lives her life to the fullest, one dress at a time"

I found her when I put on this dress. I'm pretty sure if you wear any of the NBD dresses and look at the mirror, you'll see her too.

Thank you so much for reading!

Photos: Navian Photography

::Outfit::

NBD Romper- Thanks to Revolve Clothing

Glitter pumps- Thanks to Forever21

Coach sunglasses

M2Malletier leopard handbag

Michael Kors watch