I've moved on...
...to a different domain. Why, what were you thinking? The truth is, I just woke up one day and decided it's time for a change—a metamorphosis, if you will; or, in layman's terms, if Britney can shave her head, then maybe so can I? Nevertheless, it's been a rather handsome 10 years of talking to you, and thank you for putting up with all my moodswings and terrible dad jokes. Fear not! The hormonal imbalance and jokes are more terrible on CUBICLE, see you there.

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On a tight schedule

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Five hours, Florence, one fidgety husband – what does one do when the universe deals you cards like these that aren’t compatible in any sense other than in an awkward alliteration (alligator)?

Last month I had a brief stint in Florence for a work trip, to which I took ze old ball and chain (hubby), and discovered later the itinerary was so jam-packed over the two days we only really had five hours to explore the city. Now, for those who have never been/planning to travel to Florence, I personally advise allocating at least four hours for gelato, PERIOD. Because ICECREAM. Then there’s the Duomo, David (by Michaelangelo – and not the ninja turtle), Boboli gardens, a slew of essential museums and galleries, shopping… none of which you should skip, and many of which that sadly require queuing (cue fidgety husband).

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So we decided, over a particularly parmesan-y breakfast, to simply do none of it (except gelato, bumped down to one hour, boo) and took to the streets without a plan, turning corners ad lib and frequently ending up in dead-end court yards, where EVERY SINGLE TIME, an Italian family reunion was under way*. Turns out it’s a great way to see the city, and not bad cards afterall, considering Florence is really the Joker card. Also, you do end up grazing a lot of the important bits as the historical centre of the city is only about 45 minutes-wide on foot. (But do try to graze David properly if you have time, he sure is a looker)

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Watch – Chaumet

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I’ve mentioned this before, but with all travels I try to take something new with me as a ‘beacon’ of memory – typically a perfume – but instead I decided to take my unworn Chaumet Liens watch that I had saved for a special occasion. Surely enough, what with all the time constraints on this trip and diligently having to glance at my wrist where the clock-hands danced from 12 to 5pm, the watch is now my connection to this short, but gelato-sweet, Florentine adventure. And to add to the romance, this very model (Liens) – while classic and timeless in its looks – is constructed with a state-of-the-art Swiss mechanical self-winding movement that makes soft, rhythmical tickky-tickky-tickky sound when you bring it up to your ears, or in my case, whenever I brought my camera up to my face to take a snap…

Well, isn’t this sentimental. I’m going to go have a sarcasm sandwich now.

*Come to think of it, it was the afternoon of the World Cup Italy vs. Urugauy game… so probably not anything similar to a hearty (?) Italian GodFather scene as I’d thought.

Watch – Chaumet. Hat – Hoss Intropia. Dress – ASOS (similar in yellow). Slides – Office. Bag – Saint Laurent ‘Lulu’. Earrings – Baublebar. Blazer – Zara (similar).

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Watch – Chaumet

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Watch – Chaumet

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Giorgio Armani: Le rouge ecstasy

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Ecstasy Rouge #503

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Ecstasy Rouge #304 ‘Heat’

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Wearing: Black dress – Zara. Slingback heels – Lucy Choi. Grey sweater – American Apparel. Door-knocker ring – & Other Stories. Chevron knuckle Ring – We the Hatters. Textured rings – H&M. Bejewelled rings – ASOS. Nail Polish – Anna Sui (via ASOS)

Here’s another thing that makes my knees go weak now that I’m well past my mid-twenties – yes, beautiful lipsticks, but more specifically THE MAGNET that holds the cap secure and makes such a sexy snap noise it makes you purr a little. I know the technology has been around for quite some time now, but now that I’m in that stage where my life is acutely edited into the contents of one handbag, it’s starting to matter whether one day the inside of my bag looks like a drag queen or not. Alas, I’m clearly not yet old enough to understand the full potential of le make-up pouch that would essentially localize the hot mess, but I don’t want said hot mess anywhere other than my face, thank you. Anyhoo. These siren-red beauties are from the Giorgio Armani lipstick collection, Le Rouge ecstasy, a  new line introducing a “CC” innovation, or “Colour and Care”, that focuses on high-opacity, velvety colour, matched with moisturising comfort. I’ve had a chance to play around with a couple and personally love the darker colours in the range, which probably is another sign of getting older… well, this missus ain’t seducing no one in this household with coral-coloured lipsticks for sure. I’m kidding, please believe me.

As a bonus, here’s a rather hypnotic marriage of beat and beauty by Giorgio Armani Beauty, and if you’re extra bored, here’s my own lame attempt at beats.

Collaborative post with Giorgio Armani beauty; Shot in South Place Hotel. Thank you Kit for helping with these shots