Midweek Blues

Pudding on my dashboard

Pudding on my plate ;)

Pudding Milk Tea (Image: source) 

Just a tad in love with pudding these days. Maybe more obsessed than I am willing to admit but that doesn't really matter right now.

Homemade Taiwanese hamburger for CNY 

Refreshing coconut before hitting the gym!

FOTD: Tightlining

I'm all about looking natural and enhancing your features - whether for work, play, or any day, having eyeliner handy makes an incredible difference. I've recently been obsessed with the lining the upper waterline (or "tightlining" as bloggers call it). It's really taken the traditional way of applying eyeliner to look more natural by lining the area closest to your lashes.

The benefits for me is that my lashes look fuller without really being fuller and my eyes look more open without much effort. Whenever I line my eyes the traditional way, I feel as if it looks too harsh or dramatic and I hate when i close my eyes, that sharp line! It doesn't look friendly on me ;)

What to use? I used Mac's Blacktrack gel liner as it's waterproof and won't smudge on me. Other bloggers use fine pointed liquid liners, a soft kohl liner or a regular pencil liner. I think gel is safest for me though... something about using a liquid liner to tightline scares the jeeves out of me.

I think this technique is a keeper! What's your eye lining method? :) Do share!

Jill Stuart Blush Win! ^_^ + FOTD!

Hellllloooo darlings!

I recently won a Jill Stuart blush from the lovely Nancy at The Dark side of Beauty. It is my first time owning such a gorgeous, cute looking, princess-y packaged blush! I received it a few days ago and I can't even begin to say how much I love it! :) 

Jill Stuart Mix Compact Blush in Little Bouquet

FOTD - using the JS blush, MAC F&B foundation, MAC Blacktrack gel liner, Bobbi Brown Downtown Palette, clear gloss. Sorry about the bad lighting! 

The blush is not too noticeable in these pics but I assure you it's glowy and bright. I'll try and get better photos :)

Shiseido White Lucent Skincare Review

Hello darlings! Happy Monday! As such, January is halfway over already. Where has all the time gone...? Certainly not doing anything productive I'm afraid o_o Nothing but skincare matters at this time of the year, right? We all want to have a good skincare regime to follow and  pray to god on our knees  hope our current one is the one. That works, of course.

So here I am, after months of fickling and fumbling, testing or otherwise... I have come to the conclusion that Shiseido White Lucent has some good products but the overall line is just average.

L-R - Balancing Softener, SPF 15 moisturizer, emulsion lotion, and cleanser

The Cleanser

What it is:  Brightening cream cleanser that lathers up generously 

Claims: Brighten skin, remove impurities 

Packaging: Plastic twist cap tube; practical

Texture: Creamy texture; lathers up quickly

Scent: Lightly scented soap smell 
Strengths: I love cream cleansers and I love how it lathers so generously without much effort. It also feels very concentrated.  My skin feels very clean afterwards - no oily residue feeling
Weaknesses: A bit drying at times. For me it depends on the weather but I follow up with a rich softener/emulsion
Availability/Price: $35.00/4.7 oz/139ml - Sephora, Department Stores, Shiseido 

Ingredients:  Water, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Sorbitol, Dipropylene Glycol, Lauric Acid, PEG-60 Gyceryl Isostearate, PEG-32, PEG-6, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Fragrance, Trisodium EDTA, Butylene Glycol, Limonene, Serine, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Tocopherol  

Overall: This cleanser is quite nice and surprisingly not harsh. It's not the gentlest of cleansers, but it does make my face feel very clean. It can wash off a face full of makeup, but I don't recommend it. It tends to dry out skin if you're removing makeup with it... but other than that, I think this cleanser is nice and something I would buy for that "deep cleaning" feeling.

Protective Emulsion SPF 15

What it is:  Moisturizer with SPF 15 sun protection. To be used after balancing softener.

Claims: Preventative care from sunburn and aging

Packaging: Glass bottle with hygienic pump.

Texture: Lightweight gel-like texture; easy to spread, thin; absorbs to skin quickly

Scent: Lightly scented soap smell.  No sunscreen smell!
Strengths: Absorbs amazingly! I love that it's a moisturizer first. It's very thin but feels amazing on skin!
Weaknesses: The SPF is not high enough. I just use it for moisturizing and add on a sunscreen if I need to
Availability/Price: $54.50/2.5 oz/74ml - Sephora, Department Stores, Shiseido counters

Ingredients: Octinoxate 4.9%, Octocrylene 5.0%
Overall: I love the texture of this moisturizer soooo much. It's absorbs so well and the "greasy" feel is non existent. I just wish it had at least spf 30 to back its claim in preventing sunburns and aging! 

The Emulsion

What it is: Facial emulsion that gives an extra hydration boost to dry skin; to be used after softener 

Claims: Brightens skin, moisturizes 

Packaging: Glass bottle with hygienic pump

Texture:  It's watery and thin, gel-like texture - moisturizes fairly well but leaves a little trace of residue.

Scent: Lightly scented soap smell
Strengths: Very hydrating, thin texture and spreads evenly very easily/not thick; refreshing on skin
Weaknesses: Leaves some residue, a bit oily
Availability/Price: $59.50/2.5 oz/75ml -  Sephora, Department Stores, Shiseido counters

Ingredients:  Contains tranexamic acid, multi-target vitamin C, Super Hydro-Synergy Complex and other key ingredients (could not find the entire list of ingredients)
Overall: The formula is very lightweight but moisturizes intensely. My skin felt smoother upon weeks of usage and rough spots on my skin have softened out or diminished entirely. I can't say my skin has "brightened" but it is certainly less dry. 

The Balancing Softener

What it is:  Balancing softener/toning lotion

Claims: Lighten dark spots, even out skin

Packaging: Pretty glass bottle with a nozzle to pour the liquid onto your hands.

Texture: Watery and a bit tacky/sticky to pat on face or to saturate in cotton pad

Scent: Lightly scented soap smell
Strengths: Easy absorbency on skin; hydrating and feels refreshing. I just pat this on my face after cleansing to hydrate it back. 
Weaknesses: There is a bit of alcohol 
Availability/Price: $48.00/5oz/150ml - available at  Sephora, Department Stores, Shiseido counters

Ingredients: Could not find online! =/ ...Features Tranexamic acid, Erythritol, apricot extracts, and Super Hydro-Synergy Complex normalize cell turnover to retexturize skin (taken from Sephora.com)
Overall: There is a bit of alcohol so those who are sensitive to it should avoid this. It dries really quickly (because of the alcohol), and my skin feels nice and refreshed after cleansing. I haven't seen drastic improvements in my skin, but it hydrates well enough. Because of the alcohol, I probably won't repurchase this. 

Overall, the entire line is mediocre. To be honest, it is a bit overpriced and I don't like I can't easily find the ingredients online. Separately the products have their own good features but together as a skincare regime, it may be too rough on skin. My skin hasn't improved significantly because of this regime alone but it's an adequate choice for people who favor brightening products because it seems to focus on lightening age spots and preventing future ones.

Oldies and Such

Hello everyone! ...and a big hello to my new followers! *waves* :) I hope you are all having a fantastic week. I'm, well, hanging in there. I'm still on vacation mode! I spent New Year's Eve at home with my family and enjoying some bubbly champagne and heart attack style pastries. It's the only way.

My first makeup post of the year is funnily enough an older paletteI have dug from my collection archives ;) Are you gals a big fan of Prescriptives? I used to love that brand when I was first in college. It was a brand synonymous to simplicity - looking gorgeous without trying too hard. 

During the holidays of 2006, I purchased my first ever palette that came with 6 eyeshadows, 2 blushes and a double ended brush. I had a choice between warm or cool toned palette, I chose the warm one.

Prescriptives Colorscope Refillable Palette for Eyes and Cheeks

Encased in a sturdy refillable palette with a full sized mirror and dual ended brush. 

These six eyeshadows are really soft and pigmented. I particularly love forrest, sable and adobe.

The two blushes! I love them both. They've always reminded me so much of the Nars Orgasm/Laguna blushes. Apricot is a pretty pink (love!) and warm dark is a warm ginger color. Warm dark (quite the creative name, huh?) is heavily swatched here, but it looks amazing with a light hand.

I will be doing more FOTD's soon...suffering from breakouts and acne pretty bad lately that I took a break from wearing makeup. My skin's been clearing up so I'll be back. In black. 

Even though this palette is old and has since been long discontinued, in some ways this palette is still one of my favorites. Something sentimental, coming of age and all that jazz. 

That was my oldie. What's yours? :)

Thrifty Steve Madden Bag!

Hellllllo my dear friends!

My mom found this bag at TJ Maxx and picked it for me because she knows how hard it is for me to find a decent Alexa dupe one when I'm shopping =p This one has a zipper closure underneath the flaps, large front pockets and a strap that matches the bag. And you can hide the strap or take it off to use as a handbag :)

Love the zipper closure!

Backside! 

Without the strap

I really adore this bag! It's perfectly sized for everyday use. I've been looking for a bag like this forever and ever! They have this and other similar styles at TJ Maxx. Although it's faux leather, the quality is quite nice and very soft. I just wish it had the metal feet on the base of the bag, but I can't complain otherwise. I started noticing a lot of these recently... and reasonably priced at under $40. This particular bag was $35!

What kind of bag styles do you like? Are you a Mulberry Alexa luster as well? :)

eShakti Wool Coat

Helloooo early January! This time of the year is always the coldest and dreariest. And we always need a nice wooly coat to keep warm and toasty. I was very fortunate to be contacted by eShakti to review an item on their website. Considering the freezing weather, I opted to try their wool coat.

eShakti is known for their customization when you place your order. This means you have control of the measurements of the item to make it fit your unique body shape. For $7.50, you can alter the length, sleeves, necklines to your liking. They offer sizes 0-26w in a variety of work appropriate styles, shipped to you in 7 days or less.

50% wool, 50% polyester

Warmth Factor: High

Lined in Polytafetta

Dry Clean Only

What drew me about this coat is the bib neckline. It's unique, isn't it? The coat is quite thin and soft to the touch. I've worn it a handful of times and although it's a little big in the shoulder area, it fits comfortably with room to move.

Plastic buttons

The sleeve - 

I love the belt! It adds a very feminine touch.

Overall, I really like this coat. It is a little flimsy at times when you want a sturdy coat, but this one packs well and it lightweight and easy to travel with. The only drawback about this coat is that it does not have any pockets. It would be nice to keep our hands toasty in our pockets when out and about, but it didn't bother me as much because the lightness of the coat outweighs the need for pockets. I really like how easy it is to take around. 

I will snap some photos of myself wearing it soon :) 

Hope you're all having a fabulous week! 

2011 Reflections and Resolutions

Happy New Year's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have transitioned our way to yet another year.
I was inspired by Tao and Maddy Loves for this reflection idea.
This year in review has been hard for me to sum up. I've done a whole lot yet I feel like there wasn't enough time.

Accomplishments:
1. Eating Better... and I have! I also learned that I enjoy running and yoga a lot!
2. Not making impulse purchases... you won't believe how much money you can save by thinking things through. I used to just buy stuff to fill a void of some sort, but I've become better attuned at controlling my spending habits!
3. Write Write and Write! I've taken much of my free time to fine tune my favorite hobby in the world, which is writing fiction. I've written inconsistently over the years for one reason or another but now I realized how utterly ridiculous it was to even bear the thought of stopping.

Lessons Learned:
1. Varying Friendship... it either gets deeper, stays consistent or disintegrate. I feel like I had a major loss this year and it kills me from time to time, but sometimes there is no good explanation.... It just is.
2. Don't be timid... I have to admit, one of my major flaws is that I try to never let anyone down, and sometimes it bites back hard because people take the gesture as a lack of confidence. They start stepping all over you and pretty soon you're in that zone where you're labelled as such. I have to learn to have a more commanding presence.
3. Don't let criticism bring you down... ever. There are trolls on the internet that write crappy things to people. One of the reasons I didn't continue much on my fiction was because I had several readers who criticized me personally for things I've written and that made me question my authenticity and ability to tell stories. But now I realize I wasted too much time not listening to my own voice. [cue cheesy music here]

Resolutions for 2012
1. Wake up and do yoga in the mornings! I'd say 3x a week or so to start. I'd love to start my days earlier and go to work feeling good.
2. Take more mini vacations... because you never really know things unless you've seen them. I've taken several staycations (local vacations) in 2011 and I always come back feeling motivated and refreshed. My mind balanced.
3. Sign up for a walkathon or marathon... something small, nothing extravagant but hopefully something that can lead up to eventual hardcoreness ;)

I've kept my resolutions simple and realistic this year. I'd like to grow as person, become wiser and more zenful :)

I'd also like to thank all my readers for following this blog for what the content's worth. I enjoy interacting with all of you guys via this blog, Twitter and Facebook. It's become an outlet for my zany little obsession with frivolous things and unattainable lusts. I plan on continuing next year with more quality posts, good reviews, fun tags and more!

Happy New Year to all!