Hello, my lovelies! ♥

So, for a while now, I have been trying to find a store that sells Oolong or Wu Long tea, and had no luck until I just went to a health store and found a pack in there. It was cheaper than buying online but I hope it'll have the same benefits listed here on Jing Tea. On there the tea is specifically a diet tea, while in the health store or on the package it didn't say much about using it for dieting.

The reason I wanted to try it? Well, I heard and read about it a few times on the internet and it seems to have wonderful slimming and detoxing benefits, as described on the website:

"Wu-Long Tea is an incredibly flavourful tea from the stems of 

the tea plants among the mineral rich mountains of Wu Yi in 

China. So it is also called Wu Yi Tea.

As seen in Oprah's magazine 'O', and other fine publications, 

Wu-Long tea is a powerful natural slimming solution available 

to the public today. It's unique combination of ingredients 

working synergistically for efficient weight reduction.

Experts agree regular consumption of Wu-Long tea may help 

contribute to a healthy body figure maintenance; Oprah Winfrey 

and Rachael Ray enjoy 3 times a day or more. This Chinese 

secret has been traditionally used for centuries as a way to 

skyrocket energy and combat obesity, but now this secret has 

been unearthed and brought to you. If you are finally ready to

start losing weight safely, healthily and effortlessly, then 

Wu-Long tea might be the answer to your prayers."

Sounds good to me. I drink a lot of green tea already, so why not?

Oolong Tea Benefits

• Weight Management: 

"The polyphenol compound found in oolong tea is very effective in controlling the metabolism of fat in the body. It activates certain enzymes, thereby enhancing the functions of fat cells in the body." - Organic Facts

• Removes harmful Free Radicals from the body

"The polyphenolic compound in oolong tea is also responsible for the removal of free radicals in our body, because it functions as an antioxidant and stimulates the behavior of other free radical compounds in the body. Therefore, consuming daily doses of oolong tea can help people from the potential harm that these free-moving cells often pose to the human body, including cancer, atherosclerosis, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, neurodegeneration, and diabetes." - Organic Facts

It also:

• Controls Diabetes
• Contains anti-cancer properties
• Manages stress
• Increases mental performance and health
• Encourages healthy bones

All tea has some sort of benefit to drinking it, which is why I swapped drinking soft drink and most juices with tea/water. 

My Experience

I started drinking one bag a day on the 28th of December.  The box I bought had 25 tea bags so, I drank one cup a day. I also put the bag that I used to brew my cup of tea in another cup with more water just in case I could get more out of it, haha.

The tea was a bit bitter, it reminded me of when I just started drinking green tea and it was something completely new that the taste was something I had to get used to. I'm not sure if it's because of the brand or whatnot, since when my green tea was hard to endure, I realise dafter some time that it was because the brand was a little cheap, haha.

I got used to it pretty quickly and drank a cup every morning and ate healthily (except a few days where I was with friends =.=) I tried to be active but didn't exercise well, which I regret.

The result was, over the 20 or something days of drinking the tea, I only lost a little less than a kilogram. I was a little disappointed the results weren't more obvious but it might be from me not drinking the tea often enough or from not exercising. 

In the future, I would like to try drinking more than one cup a day and being more active, or try the specific diet tea in the website I mentioned earlier to see if there is a difference. Right now, I think I would have had the same experience still drinking green tea.

It also maybe have been because I've reached the point in my healthier lifestyle where weight loss is really slow unless I exercise more. It may have been more effective when I first started dieting.

❤

Has anyone else tried Oolong Tea or some other detox drink for weight loss? What was your experience?

Enjoy life!

Nina

Growing up in Australia, I was exposed to many different cultures and backgrounds, since Australia is a very multicultural country.

I'm half Russian, half Australian and for a large part of my life, I was listening to different music from all around the world because of my parents interest in it. At some point, I noticed how different this was to a lot of my classmates since they predominantly listen to American music. 

After I was introduced to the Internet, I could learn more about music and develop my own taste. For quite some time I was trying to adapt to everyone else's music taste and try to match that but I realized that was pointless and decided to do otherwise. 

Halfway through high school I got an interest in anime/manga, which grew to me loving Japanese fashion and culture. Then, my love for the Korean culture began randomly.

I remember watching Michelle Phan's tutorial for 'How to look like a KPOP Star' and heard Girl's Generation's The Boys for the first time. It sparked my interest and I downloaded it.

I'm not too sure what happened after that, but my love for KPOP grew a lot in the past year as well as for their culture, fashion and shows. The politeness, how well and simply they look after their appearance and catchy fun music is something that really suits me about Korea.

________________ ♥ ________________

Since it matched my personality, it kind of helped me to grow as a person in a way. I don't know really. All of my interests And experiences have helped me grow as a person but since I spend a lot of time listening to music and wearing clothes, it's taught me and inspired me a lot.

1. To look after my body and health

I went to Japan last year and it was incredible how young and fit everyone was o,o I saw a mother pushing a stroller and she looked like a supermodel. 

My family is quite healthy, we don't eat fast food or smoke and all that. (Of course, it's anyone's decision and I'm not saying that what I do or think is the only right thing or opinion).

It's no joke how well KPOP/JPOP singers look.  The diets of people in Asia are quite healthy to begin with and they're quite active. Of course, it's not healthy to aspire to look or act like someone else and to drastically change your diet. But, I still was inspired to do my best to improve myself, my lifestyle and work hard as well. I don't want to use the excuse that "I'm skinny therefore I can eat whatever I want" anymore. I want to do little things to make myself feel good on the outside and inside.

2. Working harder in school and appreciating little things

At first when I saw these idols, I thought that their life must be ideal because of their popularity and beauty. But, I soon realized that they give up a lot in return. They can't go out in public, or go to school as much, or sleep and eat well sometimes. Now, I appreciate all those things and realize how I shouldn't take school or things like sleep for granted anymore because I am living a normal life.

I can sleep in, I can study new things, I can go outside freely and safely, I can live a normal life. That's why, I wanted to start to get up earlier and make the most of out of each day.

3. How I dress

Fashion is interesting as it is so easy to express yourself through fashion. Harajuku in Japan really fascinate me as there were SO many different styles there and everyone was accepted. The elegant, reserved fashion style of most Koreans and Japanese is something that I really enjoy. It suits my personality and taste and it felt so nice to find a style I feel so comfortable in!

❤

How has your hobby or interests influenced you? Do you see yourself having the same interests in the future?

Enjoy life!

Nina

On the 10th of June, I got a tweet and then a call saying I won a prize from SBS Pop Asia! It was so amazing! Although, the prize I won was no longer available, instead I was allowed to spend the money it was worth. So I ordered some clothes from Spree Picky (review will be in another blog post) and albums from yesasia.com.

The albums, 1 DVD and the key ring from yesasia.com arrived on the 21st of July, I already knew the shipping could take up to eight weeks. I'm very patient, haha. 

They came in brand new condition so it was worth the wait. The website also offers a variety of items from music, merchandise, accessories from Japan, Korea and other countries. The shipping for my order was free too~ 

Now, onto the items!

Girls' Generation 'I Got A Boy' Album:

I was so excited to order this album and listen to it! The tracks are really good, and the album art is so funky! Tiffany and Taeyeon's duet is so beautiful, I Got A Boy will always be one of my favourite songs because it's so different, and there are also some cutesy and chic songs thrown in as well.

I was a bit disappointed that there was no photo card included, was that meant to happen, haha? But their photo book was still so colourful, I loved looking through it.

SHINee's 'Misconceptions of Me' album:

Does anyone else think the front cover looks a little like Nicholas Cage, haha? I was super glad to order this too since it's two albums in one (Why So Serious? – The Misconceptions of Me and Dream Girl – The Misconceptions of You). That meant I have so many songs to listen to over 2 CD's, a lot of them are nice to play for when I am relaxing my room.

I also got a Jonghyun photo card:

SHINee's 'Everybody' Album:

I am not a fan of all the tracks on this album, but I chose this for their Everybody, Symptoms and Colourful track, which I love! I wonder whether I should have ordered their Sherlock album, but I am still happy, since it's SHINee!

I also received a photo card with Key on it, which I was stoked for! Also, a small character card of Onew.

 

f(x)'s 'Pink Tape' Album:

This album has got to be one of my favorites from 2013! f(x) really experimented with different sounds and all the tracks turned out great, they deserve all their positive reviews! It was because of this I was really excited to receive it in physical form! 

I also got a cute Sulli photocard:

Girls' Generation '2011 Girls' Generation Tour' DVD:

I was so unsure whether to choose their 2011 tour or a more recent one, but I really wanted to have the concert with their solo performances so I chose this one.I also really enjoy their photos for this tour, their style and everything is great.

Love Rain Keyring:

I was torn between getting this and a bread pillow, haha. But I thought this would look lovely for when I get a new phone, and I was totally right! I love this drama, and it also has a cactus on it, which is associated with me~

❤

Anyway! That's all I have to share, this post was majorly delayed, I was meant to write this up last year! >.< I would buy from this website again, and I hope I will.  Since I ordered these last year, my music taste has expanded a lot, and now I hope to add f(x)'s Red Light album and VIXX's albums to my collection soon! 

Enjoy life!

Nina

Yello~

Today my post is inspired a little by the lyrics of Red Velvet's song 'Happiness'. They are a Korean group that debuted in 2014 and although a lot of people thought the concept was lame, I liked it, it was fresh and very rookie-like.

But anyway, that's not my point. I just wanted to make a post on easy ways to hopefully bring some more happiness in your life.

1. Make others happy!

In the lyrics they say "In the morning, I wake up/ And I tell my mom I love her", and to stop caring about money and power. I think once I shifted the focus off my own feelings and happiness and did things in order to make others happy, I too, felt better. If you are helping spread positivity, and it grows around you, it'll help you feel better, right?

2. Find the positive in a situation, not the negative and be more understanding~

Rather than focusing on the negative in a situation, try to appreciate or justify in order to make it more positive. A waitress served you rudely? She might be having problems of her own or a bad day (justifying), or you friend may have done something bad to you, but what about all the good things they did before? (appreciating). With this, we can all be more understanding and the positivity will spread! After all, you might have come to a conclusion quickly, but some people might take a bit longer to get from Point A to Point B.

3. Appreciate what's around you

Sometimes it might be hard to think about good things or that you are lucky, but thinking of everything else in the world, aren't most us lucky to be able to breathe, that we can walk and talk and see the wonderful things in the world? We are alive, and that's the greatest joy to have. 

4. Take care of yourself: Eat and Sleep well and always have time to relax!

A healthy body and mind will surely help you feel better physically! Eat something healthy, dink lots of water, have a good night's sleep, pamper yourself and relax. 

♥

To be honest, I don't know where I was going with this post. It sounded a lot better when I was thinking of writing it, haha! I wanted to at least try and remind you that happiness can be achieved, everyday is a new day and everyone has a chance! Remember, I'm always a ball of sunshine to be help you guys! Talk to me if need be  ♥

Enjoy life!

Nina

Hello, readers!

The other day there was a sale at a store called Rivers in Australia, and although their ads sometimes makes it look like they have clothes and shoes that aren't that nice, my mum and I get a lot of stuff from there.

Anyway, I mainly wanted to do this quick post because I'm a person who's logic is to not spend too much on something when I know I can get several things for the same value. I don't mean one thing that is really good in quality exchanged for several things of lesser quality, I look for several things of the same quality as that one thing. If that makes any sense.

Anyway! Here are a few photos.

These were really cute and a really comfy material! (Sorry these photos are the odd ones out, haha~) They came in a brown which probably would match my clothes better but I liked this colour a lot.

After schoolies, I realized how much I needed a pair of walking, beach kind of shoes so I got these bad boys in a pink (there was no other colour and most of my wardrobe is pink anyway)

I wanted some neutral coloured flats that I could slip on quickly that would match most of my outfits.

These were so cute and elegant, I had to get them. I probably have enough wedges and boots but these were more dressy. I can't wait to wear them!


So this was a bit quick and simple, but I'm thinking of more about shoes lately so I started adding a few more to my collection~ If anyone has any recommendations for shopping for shoes online, let me know!

Enjoy life!

Nina

Hello, lovelies!

How have you all been? If you are a Year 12 graduate in Australia, you must have just received your results and OP which is what inspired my post today. I wasn't really excited and I was a little disappointed, but I didn't it let me get me down since I knew I would get still get to do the courses I want. I chose creative type of courses, and my mum wasn't too happy about that, thinking there is no potential in studying Japanese/Art. 

I got a bit angry, I was thinking "Don't underestimate the creative industries, since so many things rely on people with creative minds".

Oh well! There is one thing I will remember, and that is on graduation day, one of my teachers told me to not let anyone decide for me or push me into something I don't want to do. I will always remember that.

So! Everyone, I want to remind you to not let numbers define you! Don't let age define you. Don't let height or weight define you. Don't let your school results define you. Don't ... let the number of push ups you can do define you?

What define's you, is only you. I think a lot of the time, we forget that. We grew up following rules and guidelines, yes, they are to guide us, but I think in reality our actions is what shows what kind of person we are. No one is going to know what OP I got if they first meet me.

You are all beautiful and full of potential, okay? Never forget. Have a Merry Christmas!

Enjoy life!

Nina

Hiya, friends!

I am going to try something a bit different and review some of the wonderful outfits of Girls' Generation's TaeTiSeo! Now, for non-kpop fans, you might not have heard of them and this might sound interesting, but give them a go anyway! They take their music and style seriously.

Their most recent album release, Holler, was something I was greatly anticipating! The music video was so beautiful and the album, well, there is a reason it crept up the iTunes chart, it is great.

Along with the attention their music got, their style was gaining attention as well, and it was one of the focuses of their 8 episode TV show 'The TaeTiSeo'. I was even more impressed to find one of my favourite members, Tiffany, played a huge role in the visual directing of their whole comeback and really paid attention to style according to current trends. She really works hard.

♥

Now, let's look at their outfits!

1. Dolce & Gabbana

These vibrant green-leaf outfits can be seen in the opening of the music video, and I think that it really suited them, and coordinated well to each member's style. I am not really sure if these outfits were worn anywhere else, but they wouldn't work well as stage outfits if they sung Holler as they would be a bit tight, haha~ I wish I saw more of this look too, if the dresses were more flowy, it would've been great to see them on stage.

The Bustier Crop Top ($349) is worn by Seohyun paired with a skirt.

The Halter Dress ($1680) is worn by Tiffany.

The blouse ($587) is worn by Taeyeon paired with white shorts.

2. Zebra Outfits

These are the next outfits seen and were used in the video, showcase and live stage. Mmmm, I have mixed feelings about these outfits. Whereas in other outfits, the both had three individual styles with the same pattern but with these, Seohyun (in yellow) and Tiffany (in pink) both have similar dresses while Taeyeon (in blue) is the odd one out. Although, there is nothing wrong with short clothing, if styled well, it looks great, but the dresses seem really short and tight for something that you'd be jumping around and hollering in. This is my personal opinion though.

It looked really chic and classy in a way in the music video though, but as a stage outfit, something seems a bit off. Maybe it's the how the zebra pattern is paired with the greatly contrasting coloured stripe pattern.

3. Black and Yellow Outfits

I quite like these outfits as well, I'm just wondering why Tiffany is so keen on putting herself in mini dresses, it looks difficult to move in. I like how although the outfit styles were different, they matched with colours and shoes, although Seohyun's outfit was an off white compared to the other two. But, all in all, I think this colour coordination, with the black and gold, really made them look high-class and suited the overall concept of Holler.

5. Long Gowns (Gucci and Arche)

These gowns are GORGEOUS. They look even better putting Seohyun in the middle in the photo with her bronze-gold one. TaeTiSeo had long gowns in their last music video 'Twinkle':

 

I see a I see a recurring outfit theme here, but these look much more mature and elegant on these girls. Like with the last gowns, they used these as stage outfits again. Which I thought looked really nice, and their hair was on point.

Source: http://style.soshified.com/2014/09/snsd-gucci-arche-giuseppe-zanotti-and-more/

Gucci: Resort 2014 RTW Collection

Gucci: Spring 2014 RTW Collection

Gucci: Spring 2014 RTW Collection

Arche: Spring/Summer 2014 Collection

6. Denim Ensemble

These outfits are one of my favourite! Taeyeon looks cute, Tiffany looks elegant and Seohyun looks retro and chic! Overall it's fun and fresh and made me realize how much these singers actually pay for some of their clothes (。・_・。)

Taeyeon and Tiffany are wearing Lorenz wedges (was roughly $1,395 at the time of the release) and Seohyun is wearing the Slip-On Wedges ($833) both by Giuseppe Zanotti.




They also wear a variation of this outfit, wearing 3Sum by James Jeans (Suspender Shorts)

Source: http://style.soshified.com/2014/10/snsd-3sum-by-james-jeans/

7. Rainbow Outfits

I think this outfit was worn a few times, and I am a lover of colour, so I quite liked these outfits and how they were coordinated.  It wasn't feature din the music video, but decided to mention it, as they wore it at the Super KPOP Concert.

Seohyun was wearing a Rainbow Asymmetric Mini-Dress ($525):

Tiffany was wearing a  Kaleidoscopic Baroque Print Shirt ($420.38) paired with a 
Rainbow Print Pleated Skirt ($495):

Taeyeon was wearing a combination of Rainbow Print Bomber Jacket ($950) and a pair of 

Rainbow Print Stretch Jeans ($425)

♥

Overall, I quite liked the concept and style of TaeTiSeo in their Holler era, I feel as thoough some of the outfits were a bit of a hit and miss, but they were very fashionable nonetheless. I might do another post on their fashion outside of their performances. What do you think of this fashion and outfits? Which ones are your favourite? I think I liked some of the outfits from their Twinkle era a bit more, but this showed their maturity and age more which is nice.

Enjoy life!

Nina