Fables in Fashion

The nature of my work means I’m never in one place for very long, I haven’t had an actual desk for my entire full time working life and I’m only situated in one location for more than a few weeks or months at a time, maybe even shorter.

Most of the time this is just moving around within the same city to different locations, though lately there seems to be a bit of a change in the air with the need to go interstate and potentially overseas. I had a bit of a spurt of travel lately and thought I’d share my ideas behind packing fast and packing light. Often when I’m required to relocate, I’m given at most a few days notice.

So here are some of my tips

• Simplify, especially if you’re only going for a few days, ditch the eye creams and stick with one day time moisturiser with SPF and one night time moisturiser.
• Try to get makeup wipes that work as a cleanser / exfoliator / toner, they work amazingly well at cleaning makeup brushes too!
• Be realistic about what makeup you need, on a good day I’ll only use at most a couple of eye shadows, 1 liner, 1 mascara, 1 blush and maybe a tinted moisturiser / BB cream.
• Limit the product numbers by only allowing yourself one makeup / skin care bag, if it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t go with you.
• Learn to use your fingers to apply makeup, I had to apply all my makeup using just my fingers once for a photo shoot with The Age because I stupidly forgot my brushes, but it turned out well in the end and I learnt to apply my makeup much faster! Just make sure your hands are clean!

Or better yet, don’t bring any makeup! Like me below, makeup free and a tad camera shy lol. Hope you found my tips useful, would love to hear your tips if you have any

“What did you do on the weekend?” or “Got any plans this evening?”

Conventional questions I get asked at work all the time, whether out of sincerity or to fill the conversational void, they get asked. And my never failed response is, “oh nothing much”.

And yet we all know this is far from the case. In fact if you took a glance at my schedule, you’ll see every night I have something planned. And more often than not has to do with either cosplay, this blog or working on my portfolio.

Lookbooks take up a lot of my time, not just because I like to shoot in advanced, but because I tend to re-shoot them several times before I have a set of photos I feel are good enough to be put on this blog. But how exactly do you tell someone, who most likely isn’t that interested in your evening to begin with “I’m going to put on a lot of makeup, sit in my bedroom and take photos of myself”. Hmm… suddenly, “Going to work on my blog this evening” doesn’t sound as social inept anymore!

Yes, I’ve always wondered how dedicated bloggers with full time jobs outside of blogging even introduce the topic of their “other life”. Do you guys even bring it up? Or are you like me, juuust keep it to myself and not mention it at all?

P.S: Props to me, I finally linked Fables on my FaceBook page, where I’m linked with all my co-workers. So… step 1 right?

Thanks to work, I’ve moved away from the CBD for the next couple of months. This means no more mini adventures into the many clothing and beauty shops during my breaks Plus I lose about 2-3hrs a day during the week since the commute is longer; the hours are generally longer so early to bed and early to rise etc. Not to mention all the weekend work Still it’s not permanent so I’ll survive. And my wallet and credit card seem to be very grateful!

It does however make taking photos even harder. As you may or may not know, it was already tough because the only time I could do shoots was during the day aka weekend, since by the time I arrived home on weekends, the sun had completely set (and I have yet to find a good indoor lighting area, still a WIP). Now that I have to work weekends as well, doesn’t get much easier. Still, I will persist and do the best I can. I love costumes and makeup far too much to just let it slide.

In fact, yesterday I obtained a couple of new products I can’t wait to try out and hopefully review I’ve seen them popping up in my fashion magazines…. yes advertising works shamefully well on me I feel so sorry for my parents for the kind of demanding child I must have been!

I’ve got a deliciously gothic dress / look I want to put together for a shoot soon! Just need to figure out how to make fake blood, hmm… Any ideas are welcome! <3

I don’t think I have ever posted an introduction about myself and fashion. I suppose, I’m the sort of person who just assumes people can read me, and know exactly what I’m on about. And fortunately that is not how the world works. So, I decided to create a little Fashion & I survey in hopes that will give you a better idea as to not only who am I, but my fashion interests as well.

What is your name?
Celina, my online nickname for as long as I can remember has been Flipper, and my gamer tag is exmotion.

Where do you live?
Melbourne, Australia. Born and bred.

What got you into fashion?
Cosplay. Cosplay has taught me so much in terms of what suits my body type, how different types of fabrics work and colours go well together.

How would you describe your fashion style?
Simple, Modern and Elegant. I’m a huge lover of high end fashion, mainly because they always seem to be the brands with the ultra-modern, chic, edgy looks that I adore. Pick up a copy of Vogue, Marie Clarie, Harper’s Bazaar, Cleo and you’ll know what I mean. Yes, I’m quite mainstream, and I love it!

What are your favourite fashion items?
I’m a jeans person, I love skinny jeans as I find them very flattering. I’ve never been huge on dresses or skirts, as I grew up a tomboy (and to some degree still am) but I’m trying to change that, slooowly! Jeans will always be a staple to me. Right now I’m loving white flowy tops, very elegant and delicate and reflects the beautiful Summer weather we are enjoying right now. Large sunglasses are always a must as well as simple jewelery. Nothing too attention grabbing, I prefer for my entire outfit to speak for itself, rather than one or two loud items. And finally heels, I love heels. Maybe it’s because I’m not a very tall person, but I do love the added height and how they truly compliment a person’s figure and legs. The only heels I’m not fond of are those with high platforms, not my style.

What’s your favourite clothing brand?
I don’t really have one, I tend to shop around for things in my style that are affordable. But I adore the styles found in Review, Saba, Satch, Sass & Bide, Pilgram and many more. Admittedly I don’t own many of their items, $400AU for a dress is a bit much for me at this point in time, but that doesn’t mean I can’t shop around for cheaper alternatives

What’s your favourite accessories brand?
Based on my collection, it would appear Louis Vuitton. This year I am trying to move away from Monogram styles, and looking for more classic items. I’m trying my best to branch out and expand my collection to include both brands from all ends. I’d love for my entire collection to be very versatile whilst still being true to my style.

What’s your favourite makeup brand?
I don’t have a favourite brand per say, but favourite brands for each type of makeup (and some are still undecided). For example, I adore MAC pigments and eyeliners, and Lancome stock my favourite mascaras and Giorgio Armani is my current most loved foundation brand.

Do you make your own clothes?
As a cosplayer I can, but I chose not to because it is so time consuming. I love and am in the process for creating some costumes / gowns particularly for photo shoots and print later on. But in terms of day to day wear for myself, I’m a workaholic, and would rather use my time working, and saving money to spend instead.

That’s all I can think of now, if you can come up with any other questions be sure to let me know