Latest news with #Elise
The Star
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Leaving ‘safe path': Junior College student who quit to study fashion now a cosplay influencer on TikTok
SINGAPORE: She was on a conventional path to success, having done well enough at the Primary School Leaving Examination to get into the six-year Integrated Programme (IP), and even gained entry into the Art Elective Programme to pursue her interest in art. But in her fifth year of the IP at National Junior College, Elise Lim decided to put it all aside – to go into fashion. She had taken an interest in cosplay in the fourth year, and tried her hand at making character wigs and props, and tailoring costumes. Also feeling demotivated from not doing as well as she had hoped in secondary school, she made a switch to pursue a course in fashion design and management at Temasek Polytechnic (TP), something she had dreamt of exploring since her younger days. Not everyone would have approved of her decision. 'It's not common for people to drop out of the IP, and a lot of parents could be worried that this is an unstable future, which is true, because the design and art field is unstable,' Elise said, adding that junior college (JC) is typically seen as the 'safe path' for students. Three years on, the 19-year-old, who is in her third year in polytechnic, has amassed more than 94,000 followers on TikTok, where she posts tutorials on how to make wigs, and other cosplay content. Her most viral video, where she cosplays the 2023 design of a virtual character named 'magical mirai miku' with a self-made wig, has more than 12.9 million views. On Instagram, she has a following of 12,200. She takes commission orders for wigs via her Instagram page on a first come, first served basis, and in between juggling schoolwork, she sends out blasts to her followers to say she is free to take up projects. The prices of her wigs range from US$100 (S$130) to US$700. She has made more than 30 character wigs and more than ten props, some of which are commissioned orders for international customers. 'I first started playing video games like Valorant and League Of Legends in secondary school, and afterwards I saw all these people online cosplaying these super-interesting-looking game characters,' she said. Realising how much commissioning good-quality cosplay wigs and props would cost, she decided to try making them on her own at the end of 2022. She did this by watching online tutorials, speaking to other cosplayers at conventions and looking for cheap supplies online. Her mother, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Lim, has been supportive of her decision to pursue an unconventional path. 'I'm proud of Elise and generally supportive of her love for crafting... My main concern is her frequent exposure to chemicals when making wigs, and I hope she takes care to protect herself,' said the 52-year-old, who did not want to reveal her occupation. Elise's father died when she was younger. She is an only child. When The Straits Times visited Elise's work studio in her attic in April, more than five bright blue wigs were displayed on her work table. Equipped with a sewing machine and other tools, the room was also filled with various props she has made over the years. These include a one-metre-long shark-inspired rocket launcher and machine gun based on the ones belonging to the Arcane character, Jinx. The Arcane series is a science-fantasy show based on the League Of Legends game. Some other works-in-progress include a crochet top for a small crafting online business she runs and a drill-curl hairstyle wig for a League Of Legends character, Gwen. Her costume accessories and props are made with materials including ethylene-vinyl acetate foam and recycled materials such as cardboard tubes from online shopping platforms like Taobao where supplies are cheaper. When she is in a rush, she buys her materials from Chinatown. Sitting on a stool, Elise showed ST how she makes a wig – starting with a pre-coloured base wig bought online and trimming the synthetic hair to the desired length, keeping any excess hair for future use. A base wig is an unstyled wig that can be easily cut, coloured and styled to match a character's specific hairstyle. Afterwards, she works on putting together an internal structure for the wig depending on the hairstyle needed. 'I first started styling my wigs on soft toys, and after that I realised I should invest in a mannequin head,' she recalled with a laugh. 'It's very time-consuming – you have to work slowly because the glue needs time to dry, but it's very easy to be impatient and want to move on to the next step,' she said, adding that the longest time she took to make a wig was 60 hours. 'This is skilled labour, so I had to practise and learn, and train. And the cost of living in Singapore is also high, so I think my price is quite justified,' she said. People often reach out to her asking if she can make specific props, but she has difficulty putting a reasonable price on some of them as she has spent up to 90 hours making some, she added. Her goal in the long term is to open an independent commissioning studio with one of her cosplay friends, Jade Tang, 21. 'We both get commission requests sometimes, so we think that if we continue to develop our skills, this is something we can do in the long run,' said Elise, who will graduate from polytechnic in a year. The polytechnic course curriculum aligns more with her interests, as she has more freedom to be creative and put her own personality into her works. 'It's more fruitful because the skills that I've learnt are more tangible. At the end of each module, you would have a very clear idea of what you gained from it,' Elise said. After graduating, she plans to take a gap year to enrol in short courses related to making clothes. She is also exploring studying costume design at an arts university in China, Belgium or Italy. 'I want to go to an art university, so if I stayed in JC, my focus would be split between academics and the arts, and I would have come out the other end with nothing good. I would have no good academics or a good portfolio, and also wasted two years, so I switched to TP.' Speak to teachers, parents and others in the field before making decisions – this is Elise's advice to young people wondering whether they should follow their dreams, including those out of the ordinary. 'If they are confident they can earn (money) and have done research in their field, then there's nothing wrong with doing something a bit more unconventional,' she said. - The Straits Times/ANN
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Tatcha serum stick alternatives that are £40 cheaper and shoppers 'love'
Four budget-friendly serum stick alternatives, perfect for preventing eczema flare ups as seen in a viral TikTok of the Tatcha product saving a fan as Beyoncé concert reduces her to tears Beyonce's Cowboy Carter tour has arrived in the UK, causing a wave of social media videos of fans going wild as Queen Bey arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. One particular video went viral this weekend as an emotional Beyoncé fan shared her skincare top tip as she teared up during a performance. Content creator @ littlemissplumful 's mid-concert 'touch-up' has over 2.2 million views and shows her recovering from an emotional part of the show with a serum stick that she claims protects her skin by preventing an eczema breakout. Applying the serum around her eyes, she captioned the post: "Tears always trigger eczema rashes around my eyes so I try to apply an emollient to protect my skin barrier when I know I might cry. Yes even in the middle of a Beyoncé concert because I cried all night". The caption ended with the creator, called Elise, saying: "That's my #eczemahack of the day for you". But some beauty-obsessed users wanted more information, with one writing: "I get eczema under and around my eyes too but have never heard of this!!! What is this product? Does it actually work on dry patches? Because I have a dry patch on my cheek, and was considering this, because no matter how much I moisturize it is still there". Elise's recommendation, which is The Serum Stick by Tatcha, has been met by a round of virtual applause for her normalisation of facial eczema and pocket-sized solution. What is the Tatcha The Serum Stick? User @Carly_Pro supported the video's claims, saying: "The Tatcha serum stick is my babe. I can never be without her!". Priced at nearly £50 a pop, this eight gram balm stick has received five star reviews on Tatcha's website, promising to be "hydrating, healthy aging" and for "all skin types". According to the Tatcha website, "95% [of users] showed improvement in skin texture after 2 weeks" and another "95% showed improvement in the look of fine lines after 4 weeks". These results were based on a clinical study of 23 panellists. Great for troublesome and tricky skin conditions, the serum does not include mineral oils, synthetic fragrance, sulfates, detergents, parabens, urea, DEA, TEA or phthalates, making it perfect for sensitive patches. What's more, the serum-stick is now on sale on SpaceNK for £39.20, saving you nearly £10! But if that's just not enough of a bargain for you, here's some affordable alternatives that are just as good and a fraction of the price. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Barrier Balm, £24.80 was £31 The Kiehl's Ultra Facial Barrier Balm is a brilliant Serum Stick alternative and is also suitable for all skin types, promising 24 hours of hydration. With a similar ingredient list and no sulphates in sight, the nine gram stick offers an eighth more product, "glacial glycoprotein," "long-chain lipids" that lock in moisture and "squalene: a readily-absorbed, stabilised, hydrating emollient". And if the brand's raving reviews are not enough, Look Fantastic are now selling the Barrier Balm for £24.80, more than £6 off. Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We'd love to hear from you! Eucerin UltraSensitive Soothing Care, £19 The UltraSensitive Soothing Care is a 50ml stick catering to dry skin and acting as both a day and night cream. The moisturiser helps to treat hypersensitive skin caused by a "weakened skin barrier, nerve-fibre hyperresponsiveness and stress inflammation," which produces resulting "hyper-reactivity, redness and irritation," says the Sephora website. A recent review rated the product five stars, a customer writing: "I have searched for the last year and spent a lot on products that aggravate my very sensitive skin. This one works, I am so relieved". Aquaphor Healing Balm Stick, £11.51 In the comment section of the Elise's TikTok, one user dropped her own recommendation, sharing that "the Aquaphor sticks are a game changer for patchy spots". At 18.4g, the Immediate Relief Healing Balm Stick contains the most product so far. Costing under £12, the skin protectant contains avocado oil and shea butter, and is more that £37 less than Tatcha's original price. The paraben and fragrance free stick can also be used for: chafing; dry irritated skin friction & windburn; cracked heels & feet; and has a "non-sticky feel". Vaseline Paraben and Fragrance Free And last but not least, the Vaseline All-Over Body Balm is the most affordable alternative, an eighth of the Tatcha's £49. Fragrance free and a friend to your wallet, customers cannot stop raving about this drugstore alternative. One happy customer left a review on iHerb which said: "Unscented so it's safe for those sensitive to scents. Can be used for rough heels, dry elbows and knees, your lips, eyebrows, nails, almost anywhere Since it's solid/stick form, can be easily packed for your travels It's quite big, so you can use for a long time Good quality, cheaper by a bit as compared to the Aquaphor stick".
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I visited Europe's largest wilderness - where it's illegal to go outside without a weapon and seal is on the menu
Improbable, measureless and beautifully sinister, Svalbard is a natural film set - it's no wonder parts of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning were filmed here. The size of Ireland, the Norwegian archipelago is the largest wilderness in Europe - just 400 miles from the North Pole. Most of it is rock and ice and only one island, Spitsbergen, is inhabited, home to 2,600 souls in five tiny settlements. I'm here for a week - joining a snowmobile expedition. Here's how it went... Ultra cold at base camp Svalbard never thaws and is frozen to a depth of more than 330ft (100m). At the heart of this icy world is Longyearbyen, a former coal mining town. In spring the temperature hovers at about -15C. This is the world's most northerly town, featuring the most northerly library, pub, schools and a handful of 'Scandi cool' hotels. Seal features on menus. Snowmobiles are sold at the Co-op. Reindeer patrol the tundras. It's illegal to leave Longyearbyen without weapons. 'Polar bears can appear anywhere,' warns our guide, Elise, who carries a rifle. The previous week a group was stalked (luckily, without incident). Typically they're 7ft-plus and can weigh more than 100 stone (630kg). There are more than 3,000 in Svalbard. You can spot stuffed bears all over town: in the airport, pub and even the church. Out on the ice there are six in our group, each with a snowmobile. For eight hours we ride up frozen rivers, through ice fields and on to glaciers, the temperature dropping to -27C. We're wearing polar suits and the handlebars are heated. For sustenance we have freeze-dried curry. The size of Ireland, the Norwegian archipelago is the largest wilderness in Europe - just 400 miles from the North Pole After Longyearbyen we see no one else. It's an unforgettable ride, with mountains as white as clouds below a cobalt-blue sky. Cliffs arise in the distance looking like stacks of iced pink coins. On one occasion, at Horbyebreen, we enter a natural tunnel beneath the glacier. The silence is enormous. After 84 miles we reach the improbably stylish Nordenskiold Lodge, with leather armchairs, panoramic windows and even a sauna. Here we're looked after by a proper Arctic couple: Trond, a former trapper, and his partner, Ragna, who served up a superb reindeer stew. Plumbing is tricky in the tundra, so men have to pee outside. Doing so involves taking an armed guard (Trond) who keeps an eye out for polar bears with his .44 Magnum. Eight miles away is the Russian mining town of Pyramiden. Under the 1920 Svalbard Treaty, Moscow is permitted to extract coal, and the town is a relic of Soviet times. Due to sanctions, we don't visit, but we do skirt the sea-ice around the town. It's a gloomy place of scabby tower blocks and rusting cranes that during its heyday (1975-85) was home to 900 miners. Now only 20 remain - plus a statue of Vladimir Lenin. On our final day we walk across a frozen bay to the bottom of Nordenskiold Glacier. Here great columns of ice sheer off and collapse with a boom. From afar the glacier wall looks like a torrent of smashed up skyscrapers. But close up it's more like a rampart made of turquoise marble. In the evening, Ragna drops chunks of this prehistoric ice in our whiskies. On Spitsbergen there are more huskies than humans. Before snowmobiles, dogs were the only way to travel. On our return I try what's known as mushing, any sport powered by dogs. With names like Ravioli, Stinky and Twix, they're strong, affectionate and eager to please. Compared with zipping in a snowmobile it's slow going. Not everyone survives Svalbard. Some missions prove truly impossible. The North Pole Museum in Longyearbyen is like a gallery of mishaps. It's all here: an aviator's maroon suit, bits of Roald Amundsen's plane and the doomed Italia airship. The city museum also has a 'catastrophe section'. One exhibit concerns the rifle of trapper Georg Nilsen, who vanished in 1921. His skeleton was discovered in 1965, crunched up by polar bears... his rifle jammed. John Gimlette is the author of The Gardens Of Mars: Madagascar, An Island Story, published by Head of Zeus.
Ottawa Citizen
11-06-2025
- Climate
- Ottawa Citizen
Today's letters: Detentions — this smart student gets it right
Article content Article content How is it that 13-year-old Elise Ravesloot can see this outdated and ineffective punishment for what it is, a complete waste of time? Not only has she identified the problem with school detentions, but she has come up with an excellent solution to clean up our extremely nasty-looking city. Article content Article content Bravo Elise. Hopefully the powers that be will pay attention to this very wise and articulate 13-year-old. Article content Marsha Maslove, Ottawa Article content There is bad air quality in Ottawa right now but here's something we can do about it. Article content The air quality Ontario web site ( is telling us that the outdoor air quality is poor and to stay indoors as much as possible. The particle emissions (known as PM2.5) are near 100, which makes Ottawa air as bad as some of the most polluted cities on Earth. Article content Unfortunately, most peoples' indoor air quality is not likely to be much better than the outdoor readings as that bad air will soon permeate a dwelling that isn't super well sealed and/or filtered. Article content Article content There is something that people can do, however. Buy an air purifier or build your own for about $50. Get a 20 x 20 inch box fan. Tape the same size furnace fan filter on the inlet side of the fan. Get it going inside your home. I've got my home-made version working right now and have got the indoor particle emissions down to nine when Ottawa's downtown air quality station is reading close to 100. Article content Marc Garneau, Canada's first astronaut and a distinguished public servant, passed away on June 4, at 76. Born in Quebec City, he began his career as a naval officer and engineer before making history on Oct. 5, 1984, when he flew aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, becoming the first Canadian in space. He would go on to complete two more missions, logging over 677 hours in orbit and emerging as a symbol of Canadian scientific achievement and international collaboration.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Who Is Golden Tate's Wife? Elise's Relationship History
Former NFL star Golden Tate and his wife share a beautiful family that fans wish to know more about. Playing as a wide receiver, Tate is best known for his time with the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles. Thanks to his phenomenal career in the field, fans have always been curious about his personal life as well. So, here's everything we know about Golden Tate's wife, how many kids they have, and more details. Golden Tate is married to Elise Tate (née Pollard). Elise Tate is the author of Sign Me Up For A Happy Home, a book dedicated to helping parents learn and teach baby sign language. Earlier, Elise had worked as a director of business development at Harvey Nash. Additionally, she holds a degree in marketing and sales from the University of Washington. (via LinkedIn) During an interview with The Knot, Golden Tate shared that it was fate that brought him and Elise together. 'We tell this story all the time and it always ends in people saying, 'Wow you two are fate.' So the short version is we met out at a bar while on a college weekend with our friends. I noticed Elise from clear across the room, I had tunnel vision on her all night,' he revealed. (via NY Post) After dating for a while, the couple finally tied the knot in 2017. They had a destination wedding in Mexico. TMZ reported that the wedding was a lavish affair with 250 guests in attendance. The Tates are parents to three children together, a daughter named Londyn and their sons Golden Jr. and Isaiah Michael. The kids often make adorable appearances on their parents' Instagram posts, giving fans a peek into their loving family. The post Who Is Golden Tate's Wife? Elise's Relationship History appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
