Country Living Modern Rustic Magazine

Many of you here are probably loyal readers of some of the biggest names in the independent magazine industry, such as Kinfolk, Cereal, The Gentlewoman and Frankie – all of which consist of plenty of interesting and thought-provoking articles that seem to transport you to a completely different country at times.

Such well-articulated pieces definitely need to be given time to be read and appreciated, similar to how some wine need to be given time to age. What happens when you cannot afford the luxury of time due to your busy working schedule? Personally, I prefer flipping through magazines that are image heavy and have minimal text like this one here:

Country Living Modern Rustic is a magazine that showcases inspiring houses done up in a contemporary country style. 

What first caught my eye was the cover which got my interest piqued because it was so different to my idea of how a "rustic" interior ought to look.

Do your children fancy the modern rustic look as well?

Not only does the magazine feature interiors, it also provides inspiration on how you could furnish your backyard too.

It only takes 15 minutes to flip through the entire magazine since it is so image-heavy. Think of it as an Ikea catalogue, except it is more wonderfully curated around the theme of Modern Rustic.

How-To: Berry Dark Lips

One of Spring Summer 2015's makeup trends consists of lips so dark, they are reminiscent of those delicious berries you pop into your mouth for a light after meal snack. Pair it with strong Cara Delevingne-like brows and a few layers of mascara and you're good to go.

If you are still a little on the fence about getting on board the dark lips bandwagon, well, you might change your mind at the end of this post.

Step 1: Always start off with a lipliner

When attempting the dark berry lip look, always line your lips with a lipliner that is of a similar colour to your lipstick. Many women think that lipliners are literally used the way they are named which is to draw an outline of your lips with the product.

But that's only half the step! After outlining your lips, always remember to fill in your entire lip with the lipliner to ensure that your lipstick fades well after your meals. Wearing a dark outline around your lips after dinner might not be that flattering a look.

Step 2: Apply your berry lipstick... with a lip brush

It may seem a little excessive but I personally find that using a lip brush produces better results. Application is smoother too, especially for those with thinner lips.

Step 3: Complete the look with strong brows and mascara

Even out your look by filling in your brows if they aren't already very dark and thick.

I am wearing Lucinda Top in Black and Alexandra Shorts in Grey for a casual, yet nighttime appropriate look.

Now you're all ready to leave the house. Don't restrict yourself to only wearing dark lips at night, ladies.

What LASALLE Students Wear

To be honest, before I enrolled myself in LASALLE College of the Arts, I didn't even know where the school was situated. I barely heard of the school, let alone knew about how the students there dressed.

Naturally, I was in for a surprise on my first day in school 3 years ago. Most of the students were dressed to the nines, each with a distinctive style and proud of it. Of course there were some students who chose to wear their pajamas to school but hey, no judging here! It's comfort over style for some people.

For those who are curious as to how the students of LASALLE dress, here's a peek:

I bumped into Christine whilst she was on her way to the nearby convenience store to grab a quick snack. Her outfit caught my eye because of how simple and understated it was, proving to many that you don't have to dress in a flamboyant manner to stand out from the crowd.

By the way, I love those pants, Christine!

Abigale and Jazreel were walking around the fourth floor of school together, both looking particularly adorable in their respective overalls. This just goes to show how colour, details, and the way one styles a piece of clothing can drastically change a look. All the more reason to own a type of item in various colours and styles.

Yes, her name really is Margarita. A unique name accompanied with a unique personal style, mmm, how apt! I'm loving how clean Margarita's outfit looks, mainly because of how the pleated skirt adds a bit of oomph to the outfit and makes it more appealing to the eye.

How-To: Go Bold

Bold, tropical prints have been trending for some time now but there hasn't been that many people rocking them on the streets. Could it be that we are just a tad unsure on what to style them with?

Fret not! Here's Eileen to the rescue with 2 outfits featuring the Amazon Box Top available at both Rockstar outlets – goes well with the blazing heat we've been experiencing of late, no?

One thing you must always keep in mind is to let them prints shine! Keep the rest of the outfit simple, understated, and allow the prints to speak for themselves instead. After all, that was the whole point of going bold, wasn't it?

Here it is, paired with Soludos Lace-ups in Black Natural Raffia (hint: coming soon to our online store!) for that casual, yet polished look.

Want something more playful? How about styling it with a pair of overalls? Denim, white or black – that's your choice. Unhook one of the shoulder straps and slip on a snapback to bump up your badass, I-don't-care factor.

Now that you've gotten a hint or two about how to style such prints, go experiment and make sure that your confidence is bigger and bolder than these prints you've got on!

Top 5 Art Instagrams

Have you ever laid your eyes upon an illustration and thought to yourself "I wish I could draw like that!" I know I have and this thought has been crossing my mind more often this week after my discovery of the more artsy side of Instagram.

I hope sharing with you some of my favourite illustrators on Instagram would inspire you to pick up a pencil and start doodling. We've all got to start somewhere, don't we?

1. @___rachele

(Credits: @___rachele)

@___rachele's illustrations often feature pensive-looking girls gazing far off into the distance. What they're staring at, I don't know but I do know that these girls are winning my heart with every glance they make my way.

And that's @___rachele with 3 underscores!

2. @d_loren

(Credits: @d_loren)

Who could possibly resist that adorable red round nose? @d_loren's quirky works were recently exhibited at the Noise Singapore 2014 exhibition at ION Orchard. If you've missed it, hey, where have you been? But don't worry, you can still follow her on Instagram to make sure you don't miss out on anything else.

3. @elfandiary

(Credits: @elfandiary)

This illustrator from Bandung, Indonesia makes painting with watercolour look like such a breeze. He not only uploads his completed illustrations, he also posts videos of his process as well. More often than not, these videos are accompanied with good music that makes you wanna bop your head along to the beat.

Good art and good music, just the way we like it!

4. @mckayfelt

(Credits: @mckayfelt)

Unique noses seem to be the in thing nowadays when it comes to creating your own style of drawing, huh? But of course, that's not the only thing we love about @mckayfelt's illustrations. The choice of colours and the intricate details are also what makes his works stand out!

5. @teeteehee

(Credits: @teeteeheehee)

If you have never heard of @teeteeheehee, then I'm sure you have been living under a rock this whole time. This Singaporean illustrator has been featured in exhibitions, magazines, and social media frequently for her one-of-a-kind works that seamlessly (pun unintended) blend art and fashion together, bringing a refreshing take on illustration to the table.

About the Writer

Eileen is a fashion student currently studying in LASALLE. She is a design and literature enthusiast who may be a little too obsessed about hamsters, strawberries, and strawberry-eating hamsters. Guess who's managing the blog? You can find her on Instagram @dirtspecks

The Must-Haves

About the Writer

Amelyn Beverly is a Fashion Design graduate of LASALLE College of the Arts. Nothing excites her more than fashion and travelling since she loves exploring the world and she often documents her experiences on her blog (beverlyville.blogspot.com) and Instagram @amebeverly. Her life motto is to live everyday with maximum positivity and to relish in what tomorrow has to offer.

Dressed by Rockstar - TOKYOBIKE for OCBCCycle2014

Look out for the TOKYOBIKE team at the upcoming OCBC Cycle 2014 event! Dressed head to toe in Rockstar & Carhartt WIP threads, you surely can't miss them. We will be sharing more pictures of their outfits in just abit.