Chinese New Year is a mere two days away, and I am bubbling with excitement.

I'd be feeling it much more if I were back in Malaysia already. By now, the shopping complexes would be a vibrant red-and-gold, with decorations everywhere, and Chinese New Year music blasting over the speakers. They would be full of people rushing to get their CNY clothes, and practically every purchase would come with a free stack of  'ang paus'.

In case you didn't know, Chinese give out 'ang paus' as a symbol of good luck and wealth. It is our way of wishing the next generation a good and prosperous year. Only married people give out 'ang paus', because it is considered bad luck for an unmarried person to give them out. Inside the 'ang paus' is the kids' favourite part - money. I used to get RM 2 - 5 per 'ang pau' (AUD 0.70 - 1.50), but now because of the inflation (both in age and in economic currency), we get anywhere from RM 10 - 100 (AUD 3 - 30) per 'ang pau'.

I've decided to do a series of Chinese New Year looks, one for each of the 15 days of Chinese New Year. Technically, there will be 16 looks (if I manage them all, that is), because the eve of Chinese New Year is also very important.

On the eve, we hold what we call the Reunion Dinner. This is when all members of the family, whether living within the country or abroad, reunite at the matriarch/patriarch's home for a meal. This is what I normally do for reunion dinner.

So the look I'm posting today is for the Reunion Dinner, and the only reason I'm posting it early is because I won't actually get to wear this look. I only arrive in Malaysia on the morning of the first day, which means I miss out on the dinner. *sob*

Ok enough wasting time. Here's the look I did:

It's just a little reddish-gold-ish peek on the lids, and gold highlights all over. The two colours of Chinese New Year :)

I did a smoky eye because this is for dinner. Most of the other days will only involve morning/afternoon activities, so expect more natural looks than dramatic ones from here on.



Stay tuned for more Chinese New Year customs and makeup looks! I'm so excited about this series! :)

Oh, and to all you Chinese out there, I think it's not too early to say GONG XI FA CAI!!