Friday, June 18, 2010
a lovely giveaway
just thought i'd share http://smootchkiss.blogspot.com/2010/06/giveaway-contest-time.html
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Review: Epistick
so i was shopping on prettyandcute.com the oher day and came across this thing called an Epistick which was supposed to remove your facial hairs, kinda like waxing/tweezing. i didn't buy it immediately cuz i didn't know if it was one of those stupid gadgets that don't work. anyway after reading a few reviews on it i decided to get it, but it was no longer available on prettyandcute.com so i just purchased it off ebay...for like 2 bucks total...including shipping LoL...seriously how do they make money...i'm not sure if it's the "real" thing or just some immitation (probably is) but i couldn't find any that was priced realistically expensive to make me think it was the authentic epistick.
anyway...the little spring with knobs actually work to remove facial hair!!! i'm so sick of those really tiny face fuzz on my face...everyone has it...if u look really closely under natural light, you'll see these light peach fuzz on your cheeks, forehead etc....and i purchased this for that reason...to remove the peach fuzz. you can use this to remove your upper lip hair no problem as well... anyway...i have pretty high pain tolerance when it comes to hair removal...i literally teared up the first time i plucked my eyebrows...then i got used to it...time to time i'd wax the upper lip if i felt like it and doesn't hurt too bad...i've even gotten brazilian waxes before and withstood that pain. the epistick is like little ant bites on ur face...you do have to get it against the direction of hair growth though (as with most waxin)...so it can be a challenge since its hard to determine which direction these stupid peach fuzz grows but eventually i got the hang of it...why do i want to get rid of the fuzz? i dunno my reasoning to it was if i can pull out the hair, then that will be one pore that can potential shrink up (with proper products) since there's no hair shaft sitting inside of it...and if i can somehow shrink it up then there will be less oil production!!!!! so it was for the sake of tryin to minimize oilines!! anyway...i stood there for about 20 minutes rotatin the knob of the epistick... have to be careful you don't accidnetally pull out ur hair around the forehead or your eyebrows >< anyway...the results: it does pull hte fuzz out...but it leaves you with like inflammed hair follicles...kinda like right after you get a brazilian/bikini wax? you get these red bumps where the follicle was...kind of annoying... it's like my pores are getting used to the lack of hair shaft in them and decide to fill up with bacteria and become little fluid bumps... i'm sure some salicylic acid or other topical agent can make it better in time those follicles will get used to the friction of the epistick and won't have such a reaction afterwards...
Friday, June 11, 2010
Review: BRTC Blemish Recover BB Cream
Nothing beats studying hard all day to find multiple packages filled with beauty goodies awaiting you when you come home.
so i got a few lipsticks from nyx, smashbox, estee lauder, guerlain, urban decay's all night make up setter, tarte's matte waterproof bronzer, epistick, brtc blemish recover cream, and my baby qausar/quasar blue duo! will do reviews as i go when i use them... not too impressed with the lipsticks though since i purchased tehm w/out ever having tried them on (based on other blogger's pictures and review). i must say the estee lauder's cherry blossom is my absolute favorite since i went through a lot of trouble getting that one after reading/seeing akisa's blog.
so BRTC Blemish Recover BB Cream seems to fit the picture for those with oily, blemish prone skin. i've read that it does wonders with coverage and keeping your skin matte and that it was on the darker end of the bb cream spectrum...
verdict: i was shocked at how light it was coming out of the tube...it was a few shades lighter on the back of my palm...i'm an nc25-30 and it looked like ite was nc15 or 20 =(...and it was really thick. more of a toothpaste consistency than a lotion. anyway...it wasn't hard to blend though which is a good thing and i guess the color is ok when you don't use too much of the product. set it with a bronzer and it matches my skin color/tone.
Pro's:
*gives you a matte finish, although i got shiny on my T zone after a few hours, cheeks were ok =)
*felt really smooth after applying on my skin
*minimal to no fragrance
*not as hard to blend as it looks
Con's:
*pretty light color
*thick texture
*oil control is OK, not superb
*coverage is light despite it's thick texture, can still see bumps and darker areas of discoloration
will update on whether it makes acne better/worse
so i got a few lipsticks from nyx, smashbox, estee lauder, guerlain, urban decay's all night make up setter, tarte's matte waterproof bronzer, epistick, brtc blemish recover cream, and my baby qausar/quasar blue duo! will do reviews as i go when i use them... not too impressed with the lipsticks though since i purchased tehm w/out ever having tried them on (based on other blogger's pictures and review). i must say the estee lauder's cherry blossom is my absolute favorite since i went through a lot of trouble getting that one after reading/seeing akisa's blog.
so BRTC Blemish Recover BB Cream seems to fit the picture for those with oily, blemish prone skin. i've read that it does wonders with coverage and keeping your skin matte and that it was on the darker end of the bb cream spectrum...
verdict: i was shocked at how light it was coming out of the tube...it was a few shades lighter on the back of my palm...i'm an nc25-30 and it looked like ite was nc15 or 20 =(...and it was really thick. more of a toothpaste consistency than a lotion. anyway...it wasn't hard to blend though which is a good thing and i guess the color is ok when you don't use too much of the product. set it with a bronzer and it matches my skin color/tone.
Pro's:
*gives you a matte finish, although i got shiny on my T zone after a few hours, cheeks were ok =)
*felt really smooth after applying on my skin
*minimal to no fragrance
*not as hard to blend as it looks
Con's:
*pretty light color
*thick texture
*oil control is OK, not superb
*coverage is light despite it's thick texture, can still see bumps and darker areas of discoloration
will update on whether it makes acne better/worse
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Review: Revlon PhotoReady Foundation
just a mini review before i run off to study..i like to ramble a lot so there's the option of reading more about the product after the initial pro's and con's.
Pro's
-a dupe for MUFE's HD foundation (1/4th the price), texture is just about the same
-blends easily, doesn't dry up fast
-the pump!!!!! its not the fact that there's a pump (vs. colorstay not having one) but the pump is SMOOTH...way better than my other pump foundations. the opening is small and honestly i can pump out very small amounts if i wanted to
-nice smooth finish (to the touch)...glitters are def. not noticeable but it's there..very tiny specks
-no smell what-so-ever
-looks pretty decent in normal ambient/outside light...perfect as a light layer during daytime
-decent coverage..probably med (don't build it up unless your shade is perfect for you)...definitely spot conceal if needed
Con's
-still pretty $$ for a drugstore brand
-will change color after a few minutes on your skin
-will NOT cover your pores as well as MUFE's HD foundation
-DO NOT TAKE FLASH PHOTOS W/ THIS AS YOUR FACE WILL LOOK UGLY AND WHITE (and i didn't even use a lot)
-IS IT NON-COMEDOGENIC?!..i know it says oil-free but i like it when my makeup tells me that it's not pore clogging at the least...
-oil control-decent- it's a con for me since i have oily skin...but after 3-4 hours of wearing this in a cool air conditiond room, i can see little oil specks that broke through the foundation on my nose and tzone...(if you don't mind blotting it should be ok)
so bottom line...will i purchase again? No...i mean the texture is great and all but i'd rather spend the $40ish on MUFE's HD foundation (no spf...which means no white mask) plus MUFE does give a smoother finish covering your pores. but it's definitely a close dupe so if you're on a budget, definitely give photoready a shot...
i usually am not one for drugstore makeup..haven't bought them since like high school which is more than 10 years ago. i think back then the quality of them was just shitty...eyeshadows were powdery, lack of pigmentation and i just didn't love any of the drugstore foundations...then i went to college and started investing on high end foundation and i guess the one thing I won't do is skimp on foundation since that is going to be the canvas on which you work on!
so i've heard rave reviews about revlon's colorstay (have not tried) and photoready foundation. definitely was wary to purchase and to be entirely honest..if i weren't studying for boards right now i probably wouldn't run off to buy it...i'm just totally stressed right now and anything that will take my mind off the inevitable...i'm gonna do it hahaha which also explains my purchase of over 10 lipsticks this week AND the Baby Quasar/Baby Blue duo (will do reviews of those when i get them) horrible but blah
so my good friend lolo told me about a sell @ walgreens...buy one get one HALF off >.> where the hell are the bogo sales? i guess they don't exist here on the east coast anyway so i was like wth lets just go get it...i've been "researching" about the photoready for awhile now trying to figure out which shade is best and decided on 008 and 006 (i'm a mac nc25-30) finally decided on 005 and oo8 after watching some youtube videos.
well was very excited to try it just now and after coming home and holdin the two bottles against my face, thought i would open the 005 first. i must say that it blends in VERY NICELY...and i first did half my face...ran to my bedroom where there's natural light and thought wow...it just looks like the undone half but smoother. so i finished the rest of my face then went for the moment-of-truth look. wow...my face didn't look yellow...didn't look overly pink looks just like my neck so definitely was happy! a couple things i noticed though...10 minutes in after i was done /w my eye makeup i went back to the sunlight and took a peek...NOT HAPPY! what seemed like a perfect match for my face became a bit ruddy and muddy >< style="font-style: italic;">does change color. nothing too drastic though, but i might have to open up the 008 (which looks a bit more yellow) and mix it in (which i find annoying...having to mix 2 foundations). ppl say it's comparable to mufe's HD foundation...i will agree 80%. so i will stop rambling and give a list of +/-'s...sorry no pictures...really didn't have time to charge my camera upload them and resize them >< (maybe in the future when i'm done w/ my test)
*update* so i compared the two shades of foundation i got 005 and 008. in the bottle 008 looks a bit darker and yellower but when applied, i think 008 is a bit orangey and i really think 005 might be darker (more beige/yellow tone). 005 is exact match to mufe's 125 and 008 is a match to 118...both of which are my shades in mufe's hd foundation
Pro's
-a dupe for MUFE's HD foundation (1/4th the price), texture is just about the same
-blends easily, doesn't dry up fast
-the pump!!!!! its not the fact that there's a pump (vs. colorstay not having one) but the pump is SMOOTH...way better than my other pump foundations. the opening is small and honestly i can pump out very small amounts if i wanted to
-nice smooth finish (to the touch)...glitters are def. not noticeable but it's there..very tiny specks
-no smell what-so-ever
-looks pretty decent in normal ambient/outside light...perfect as a light layer during daytime
-decent coverage..probably med (don't build it up unless your shade is perfect for you)...definitely spot conceal if needed
Con's
-still pretty $$ for a drugstore brand
-will change color after a few minutes on your skin
-will NOT cover your pores as well as MUFE's HD foundation
-DO NOT TAKE FLASH PHOTOS W/ THIS AS YOUR FACE WILL LOOK UGLY AND WHITE (and i didn't even use a lot)
-IS IT NON-COMEDOGENIC?!..i know it says oil-free but i like it when my makeup tells me that it's not pore clogging at the least...
-oil control-decent- it's a con for me since i have oily skin...but after 3-4 hours of wearing this in a cool air conditiond room, i can see little oil specks that broke through the foundation on my nose and tzone...(if you don't mind blotting it should be ok)
so bottom line...will i purchase again? No...i mean the texture is great and all but i'd rather spend the $40ish on MUFE's HD foundation (no spf...which means no white mask) plus MUFE does give a smoother finish covering your pores. but it's definitely a close dupe so if you're on a budget, definitely give photoready a shot...
i usually am not one for drugstore makeup..haven't bought them since like high school which is more than 10 years ago. i think back then the quality of them was just shitty...eyeshadows were powdery, lack of pigmentation and i just didn't love any of the drugstore foundations...then i went to college and started investing on high end foundation and i guess the one thing I won't do is skimp on foundation since that is going to be the canvas on which you work on!
so i've heard rave reviews about revlon's colorstay (have not tried) and photoready foundation. definitely was wary to purchase and to be entirely honest..if i weren't studying for boards right now i probably wouldn't run off to buy it...i'm just totally stressed right now and anything that will take my mind off the inevitable...i'm gonna do it hahaha which also explains my purchase of over 10 lipsticks this week AND the Baby Quasar/Baby Blue duo (will do reviews of those when i get them) horrible but blah
so my good friend lolo told me about a sell @ walgreens...buy one get one HALF off >.> where the hell are the bogo sales? i guess they don't exist here on the east coast anyway so i was like wth lets just go get it...i've been "researching" about the photoready for awhile now trying to figure out which shade is best and decided on 008 and 006 (i'm a mac nc25-30) finally decided on 005 and oo8 after watching some youtube videos.
well was very excited to try it just now and after coming home and holdin the two bottles against my face, thought i would open the 005 first. i must say that it blends in VERY NICELY...and i first did half my face...ran to my bedroom where there's natural light and thought wow...it just looks like the undone half but smoother. so i finished the rest of my face then went for the moment-of-truth look. wow...my face didn't look yellow...didn't look overly pink looks just like my neck so definitely was happy! a couple things i noticed though...10 minutes in after i was done /w my eye makeup i went back to the sunlight and took a peek...NOT HAPPY! what seemed like a perfect match for my face became a bit ruddy and muddy >< style="font-style: italic;">does change color. nothing too drastic though, but i might have to open up the 008 (which looks a bit more yellow) and mix it in (which i find annoying...having to mix 2 foundations). ppl say it's comparable to mufe's HD foundation...i will agree 80%. so i will stop rambling and give a list of +/-'s...sorry no pictures...really didn't have time to charge my camera upload them and resize them >< (maybe in the future when i'm done w/ my test)
*update* so i compared the two shades of foundation i got 005 and 008. in the bottle 008 looks a bit darker and yellower but when applied, i think 008 is a bit orangey and i really think 005 might be darker (more beige/yellow tone). 005 is exact match to mufe's 125 and 008 is a match to 118...both of which are my shades in mufe's hd foundation
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Bread!
in my undergrad years i used to bake chocolate chip cookies at like 2 or 3 in the morning while studying for midterms/finals as a stress reliever...also to procrastinate the inevitable studying and to be in denial that the test is just a few hours away...and at 2 or 3 in the morning my roomie at the time would chomp on the cookies...she jokes about it time to time how i would bake and she would eat
anyway...a few years later...while studying i decided to bake the no knead bread again! 2nd time baking and although the recipe itself is simple and doesn't require much effort, transferring the stupid dough into the pot/pan is quite the task! the first time i did it...i wet my hands to prevent the dough from sticking while i transferred it into the bakeware...but it was so gooey it stuck to my hands and as a result plopped into the pan in a shape that i wouldn't even classify as round or circular...think asymmetrical melanoma shape here >.> anyway so this time i thought why not let it rest on parchment paper and then plop it into the pan? well i must say that the dough was a lot rounder resting in parchment paper lining my mixing bowl, but once again while transferring the dough refused to fall from the paper...at one point i was looking at a 1 foot long monster dripping from the parchment paper to the pan and i had to use my hands to pry it off the parchment paper...luckily it landed in a round shape this time, but i'm not sure what that stretching of the dough prior to baking did to my finished product. maybe it stunted the bread's rising power a bit...who knows, i don't have much to compare with. anyway still looks good though..can't wait to nom on this with parmesan spinach artichoke dip...i'm hungry T_T
right after mixing the ingredients together...hard lump of unattractive mess
transformed into a gooey soft bubbly dough
shaped and formed into a nice ball...i was really hoping it wouldn't stick ><
after a 2 hour nap...prior to going in oven...too bad no monster slime dough picture
final product! looks mighty scrumptious
anyway...a few years later...while studying i decided to bake the no knead bread again! 2nd time baking and although the recipe itself is simple and doesn't require much effort, transferring the stupid dough into the pot/pan is quite the task! the first time i did it...i wet my hands to prevent the dough from sticking while i transferred it into the bakeware...but it was so gooey it stuck to my hands and as a result plopped into the pan in a shape that i wouldn't even classify as round or circular...think asymmetrical melanoma shape here >.> anyway so this time i thought why not let it rest on parchment paper and then plop it into the pan? well i must say that the dough was a lot rounder resting in parchment paper lining my mixing bowl, but once again while transferring the dough refused to fall from the paper...at one point i was looking at a 1 foot long monster dripping from the parchment paper to the pan and i had to use my hands to pry it off the parchment paper...luckily it landed in a round shape this time, but i'm not sure what that stretching of the dough prior to baking did to my finished product. maybe it stunted the bread's rising power a bit...who knows, i don't have much to compare with. anyway still looks good though..can't wait to nom on this with parmesan spinach artichoke dip...i'm hungry T_T
right after mixing the ingredients together...hard lump of unattractive mess
transformed into a gooey soft bubbly dough
shaped and formed into a nice ball...i was really hoping it wouldn't stick ><
after a 2 hour nap...prior to going in oven...too bad no monster slime dough picture
final product! looks mighty scrumptious
Baby Quasar!
argh so distracted =( already wayyy behind in my study schedule for boards T_T
was reading some blogs and came across product intro to Baby Quasar light therapy!! been reading up on it and made me wanna get it! i spend hundreds on skin care products anyway on oil control and i hate the fact that it's only a superficial treatment in mattifying your skin/drying your skin and doesn't really get to the root of the problem...i.e. i hate seeing the oil slick in the evenings when I don't use my oil control products. even clay masks and purifying masks don't really help that much...skin will feel great for an hour or two after the mask but then a few hours later...gets oily again.. freaking pisses me off when i walk into the bathroom and see the shine after i just did some home spa mask treatment. .. and each of these masks products can cost me anywhere from $30-60...blah anyway..apparently red/IR light can help in minimizing pores and controlling oil production which sounds pretty good to me. it's gotten to the point where i'ce considered PDT w/ dALA treatment but really shy away from the idea of red blotchy skin peeling and potential future ramifications of chemically destroying your skin. Light therapy seems less invasive of a treatment to me, especially the baby quasar and baby blue reminds me of the spa sessions i had back @ home last summer...all that spa lady did was put some serum on my face and rubbed this red/blue LED light across my face for 30 minutes and charged me 80 bucks per session....kinda justifies me purchasing =P seems like a pretty good investment to me if I can spend less on some of the superficial products and diminish the clutter on my bathroom counter >.> we'll see if my finger presses the checkout button later hehehhe
was reading some blogs and came across product intro to Baby Quasar light therapy!! been reading up on it and made me wanna get it! i spend hundreds on skin care products anyway on oil control and i hate the fact that it's only a superficial treatment in mattifying your skin/drying your skin and doesn't really get to the root of the problem...i.e. i hate seeing the oil slick in the evenings when I don't use my oil control products. even clay masks and purifying masks don't really help that much...skin will feel great for an hour or two after the mask but then a few hours later...gets oily again.. freaking pisses me off when i walk into the bathroom and see the shine after i just did some home spa mask treatment. .. and each of these masks products can cost me anywhere from $30-60...blah anyway..apparently red/IR light can help in minimizing pores and controlling oil production which sounds pretty good to me. it's gotten to the point where i'ce considered PDT w/ dALA treatment but really shy away from the idea of red blotchy skin peeling and potential future ramifications of chemically destroying your skin. Light therapy seems less invasive of a treatment to me, especially the baby quasar and baby blue reminds me of the spa sessions i had back @ home last summer...all that spa lady did was put some serum on my face and rubbed this red/blue LED light across my face for 30 minutes and charged me 80 bucks per session....kinda justifies me purchasing =P seems like a pretty good investment to me if I can spend less on some of the superficial products and diminish the clutter on my bathroom counter >.> we'll see if my finger presses the checkout button later hehehhe
Monday, May 31, 2010
BB Cream eh?
hmm more of a list so I remember what I've spent hours "researching" about... maybe if I actually write out what I want i'll stop obsessing about it during study time
BB Creams are the fad nowadays...have been for a while and I'm trying to explore that avenue of makeup...tried Missha's Perfect Cover last spring/summer...smells nice but has a grayish tone and probably is too light if I layer it on...oil control wasn't that great either, but maybe it was because I used it during the hot humid summer. Currently using Skin79's DermaRx...also has a grayish cast but it's more fluid in consistency than Missha...also has a grayish tone >.> more mattifying and doesn't have a dewy finish...who needs a glow when they have combo/oily skin to begin with? Sucks that these BB Cream makers all have that stereotypical asian complexion in mind when they made these products....pale dry complexions...if only all asians were made that way! glad that there's a few more options now in the market in terms of skin type and color (sorta?)
anyway...list of BB creams & fob makeup for self to buy...maybe as a reward for taking the stupid boards exam in a month??? =P maybe they'll have some of this stuff in fobtown rowland when I return there after boards and not have to buy it online...instant gratification :)
*Coogi Flowertox
*BRTC Blemish Recover
*Skin79 Super Plus...Pink one..
*maybe...l'egere multi white
*maybe lioele beyond the solution
*Etude House...my goodness i want to buy everything from their line...pink glitzy and cute...i'm such a sucker...
*Pearl shining mineral BB compact...perhaps the hello kitty one?
*all the items from the dr. oil solution line
*Peach skin pact & Peach base
*Angel Kiss Lip & Cheek..#2 and #3
*eh and throw in some eyeshadows...packaging too cute to pass up
hope i do well...or no haul for me T_T
*edit* hehe more items to add
*Etude House LuciDarling Sponge BB Cake
*
BB Creams are the fad nowadays...have been for a while and I'm trying to explore that avenue of makeup...tried Missha's Perfect Cover last spring/summer...smells nice but has a grayish tone and probably is too light if I layer it on...oil control wasn't that great either, but maybe it was because I used it during the hot humid summer. Currently using Skin79's DermaRx...also has a grayish cast but it's more fluid in consistency than Missha...also has a grayish tone >.> more mattifying and doesn't have a dewy finish...who needs a glow when they have combo/oily skin to begin with? Sucks that these BB Cream makers all have that stereotypical asian complexion in mind when they made these products....pale dry complexions...if only all asians were made that way! glad that there's a few more options now in the market in terms of skin type and color (sorta?)
anyway...list of BB creams & fob makeup for self to buy...maybe as a reward for taking the stupid boards exam in a month??? =P maybe they'll have some of this stuff in fobtown rowland when I return there after boards and not have to buy it online...instant gratification :)
*Coogi Flowertox
*BRTC Blemish Recover
*Skin79 Super Plus...Pink one..
*maybe...l'egere multi white
*maybe lioele beyond the solution
*Etude House...my goodness i want to buy everything from their line...pink glitzy and cute...i'm such a sucker...
*Pearl shining mineral BB compact...perhaps the hello kitty one?
*all the items from the dr. oil solution line
*Peach skin pact & Peach base
*Angel Kiss Lip & Cheek..#2 and #3
*eh and throw in some eyeshadows...packaging too cute to pass up
hope i do well...or no haul for me T_T
*edit* hehe more items to add
*Etude House LuciDarling Sponge BB Cake
*
Monday, May 17, 2010
Jay Chou and his song writer :P
last fuckin test of the school year!!!! then i have to go thru lockdown for about a month to study for boards... blah!!
anyway...jay chou's newest album came out. must say that it was long awaited for but i'm a bit disappointed. don't feel like the songs hit the spot like they usually do =( am looking forward to his vampire music video for 跨時代 though...loooks hot as heck =)
so this is more of an entry for me to read back time to time and marvel at the complexity of the chinese language. yes i resented my mom for making me go to chinese school at a wee age of 2....but i'm so grateful now that i can read and write and that my world is so much more 豐富because of the culture that comes with understanding another language. i can watch my fob dramas and understand the complexity of what they're saying (sometimes english translations just can't capture the meaning of a chinese word/phrase..EX// is there a literal translation of 有緣沒份?) anyway..i digress... a lot of ppl scoff at me for "reading" lyrics to songs be it english or chinese. the lyrics are just as important in conveying a message as the melody behind it... i must say that 方文山 is one hell of a lyricist... they're not just lyrics...it's poetic and jay chou and 方文山 is definitely an awesome duo... jay's quite well known for his 中國風 type of music and i actually quite love that about him being a 古箏 player myself... but that type of music coupled with the poetic lyrics makes the song all the more beautiful. 方文山's lyrics are definitely more complex than the usual pop songs...basically still has the same love/unrequited love message but hidden in a veil of 古文-classical chinese- style... and for some reason...i can actually read this 古文 and understand better than i can understand old english or the english used in yeats and keats...go figure...ROCK ON CHINESE!!!!!!!!!! teehee
so anyway...lyric phrases that capture the heart
newest album: 跨時代
*煙花易冷*
夢偏冷輾轉一生 情債又幾本 (GAHHHH T_T)
如你默認 生死枯等
枯等一圈 又一圈的 年輪
*說了再見*
落葉飄在湖面上睡著了 ...such beautiful imagery
...心碎了一地 撿不回
從前的心跳... what a great way to reminisce about a broken relationship
我很忙 album
*青花瓷*
天青色等煙雨 而我在等妳 炊煙裊裊昇起 隔江千萬里
在瓶底書漢隸仿前朝的飄逸 就當我為遇見妳伏筆
天青色等煙雨 而我在等妳 月色被打撈起 暈開了結局
如傳世的青花瓷自顧自美麗 妳眼帶笑
*蒲公英的約定*
一起長大的約定 那樣清晰 打過勾的我相信
說好要一起旅行 是妳如今 唯一堅持的任
一起長大的約定 那樣真心 與妳聊不完的曾經
而我已經分不清 妳是友情 還是錯過的愛情
*最長的電影*
我們的開始 是很長的電影
放映了三年 我票都還留著
冰上的芭蕾 腦海中還在旋轉
望著妳 慢慢忘記妳
＃朦朧的時間 我們溜了多遠
冰刀劃的圈 圈起了誰改變
如果再重來 會不會稍嫌狼狽
愛是不是不開口才珍貴＃
＊再給我兩分鐘 讓我把記憶結成冰
別融化了眼淚 妳妝都花了要我怎麼記得
記得妳叫我忘了吧 記得妳叫我忘了吧
妳說妳會哭 不是因為在乎＊
okay....i'm getting sleepy
anyway...jay chou's newest album came out. must say that it was long awaited for but i'm a bit disappointed. don't feel like the songs hit the spot like they usually do =( am looking forward to his vampire music video for 跨時代 though...loooks hot as heck =)
so this is more of an entry for me to read back time to time and marvel at the complexity of the chinese language. yes i resented my mom for making me go to chinese school at a wee age of 2....but i'm so grateful now that i can read and write and that my world is so much more 豐富because of the culture that comes with understanding another language. i can watch my fob dramas and understand the complexity of what they're saying (sometimes english translations just can't capture the meaning of a chinese word/phrase..EX// is there a literal translation of 有緣沒份?) anyway..i digress... a lot of ppl scoff at me for "reading" lyrics to songs be it english or chinese. the lyrics are just as important in conveying a message as the melody behind it... i must say that 方文山 is one hell of a lyricist... they're not just lyrics...it's poetic and jay chou and 方文山 is definitely an awesome duo... jay's quite well known for his 中國風 type of music and i actually quite love that about him being a 古箏 player myself... but that type of music coupled with the poetic lyrics makes the song all the more beautiful. 方文山's lyrics are definitely more complex than the usual pop songs...basically still has the same love/unrequited love message but hidden in a veil of 古文-classical chinese- style... and for some reason...i can actually read this 古文 and understand better than i can understand old english or the english used in yeats and keats...go figure...ROCK ON CHINESE!!!!!!!!!! teehee
so anyway...lyric phrases that capture the heart
newest album: 跨時代
*煙花易冷*
夢偏冷輾轉一生 情債又幾本 (GAHHHH T_T)
如你默認 生死枯等
枯等一圈 又一圈的 年輪
*說了再見*
落葉飄在湖面上睡著了 ...such beautiful imagery
...心碎了一地 撿不回
從前的心跳... what a great way to reminisce about a broken relationship
我很忙 album
*青花瓷*
天青色等煙雨 而我在等妳 炊煙裊裊昇起 隔江千萬里
在瓶底書漢隸仿前朝的飄逸 就當我為遇見妳伏筆
天青色等煙雨 而我在等妳 月色被打撈起 暈開了結局
如傳世的青花瓷自顧自美麗 妳眼帶笑
*蒲公英的約定*
一起長大的約定 那樣清晰 打過勾的我相信
說好要一起旅行 是妳如今 唯一堅持的任
一起長大的約定 那樣真心 與妳聊不完的曾經
而我已經分不清 妳是友情 還是錯過的愛情
*最長的電影*
我們的開始 是很長的電影
放映了三年 我票都還留著
冰上的芭蕾 腦海中還在旋轉
望著妳 慢慢忘記妳
＃朦朧的時間 我們溜了多遠
冰刀劃的圈 圈起了誰改變
如果再重來 會不會稍嫌狼狽
愛是不是不開口才珍貴＃
＊再給我兩分鐘 讓我把記憶結成冰
別融化了眼淚 妳妝都花了要我怎麼記得
記得妳叫我忘了吧 記得妳叫我忘了吧
妳說妳會哭 不是因為在乎＊
okay....i'm getting sleepy
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Review: ELF Mineral Eyeshadow, Fresh Tinted Lip Treatment, Elf High Definition Powder
Neuro exam completed yesterday...mini breath of relief before the last course of the semester...i love the days after exam...because I give myself the excuse of I just stayed up for 3 days straight studying now I get to just chill and do whatever I want for a few days....so here are some makeup reviews/swatches before I go off and bake/watch True Blood
Anyway, I'm quite the makeup junkie, and I would say the bane of my existence are eyeshadows. I love love love eyeshadows. I can never seem to get enough of them. I usually go for MAC eyeshadows or Urban Decay eyeshadows simply because of their great pigments. Generally don't go for drugstore brands eyeshadow since I feel that they're usuallynot silky enough or not pigmented enough. About a year ago, I justified my purchase of Coastal Scents eyeshadow palettes because of their great reviews on youtube and because I thought it would make me stop buying eyeshadows (with 88 colors..why would you need anymore?!) and for about a year....I didn't buy any new shadows but I'm kinda tired of my CS palette and decided to try out ELF's Mineral Eyeshadows. I've heard they are comparable to Bare Minerals Eyeshadow. I do own one BE mineral eyeshadow and do like it a lot (silky texture, nice shimmer, good color). Since ELF's eyeshadow are definitely afforadable...$3 each I got a couple of them (those that other bloggers swatched and looked nice..). I would say that the pictures on the elf website aren't the best representation of what you get so here's my best effort in reproducing the true product pictures. Note: on pictures of the product in the case..they do appear darker than what they are but on the actual swatches on the arm, they are pretty true to color. Pictures taken w/ afternoon sunlight and no flash
ELF Mineral Eyeshadows
Pros- Affordable, fine powders, good pigment, lasting (with primer), easily blendable, nice shimmer (might be a con if you prefer matte)
Cons- Can be a bit messy (wholes on sifter too big), some shimmers may get all over your face
Comments:...they're generally very wearable colors, nothing too extreme. I do prefer shimmery eyeshadows so these were great for that. however, after a few hours, if i were to look in the mirror, I would notice that some of the shimmer got onto my cheeks... I do stress the importance of an eyeshadow primer...I use Urban Decay's champagne colored primer. W/ a primer, these shadows last just as long as Bare Minerals/MAC/Urban Decay. If you don't wear a primer....say bye bye to your shadow within a few hours.
Individual shade comments
*Earthy-nice mossy green, a wearable light army green color, shimmers are more like glitter pieces in this one...so it's one of those that will get on your face...
*Socialite-absolutely my favorite. It's a pewter color with a mauvy undertone
*Celebrity-champagne shimmer..probably too dark to where as a highlight over your browbone, but useful to open your eyes up for normal everyday wear
*Elegant-light champagane, would be great for highlighting
*Mysterious-MATTE, lavendar grey color...not sure if I would be wearing this much..unless I was a bridesmaid wearing a periwinkle colored dress ^^
*Confident-dk. brown, more matte w/ a little shimmer
*Temptress-MATTE a rose pink with mauve undertones....not sure if I would wear it as an eyeshadow color since I don't really wear pinks or peaches as eyeshadow...i have a feeling it would look pretty decent as a blush or converted to a lipgloss....
*Royal-Dark purple/plum with subtle shimmer
*Caffeinated-bronzey brown, along with socialite, it is a go to shade if I am too lazy to pick out an eyeshadow
*Glamourous-maroon shade, more matte-ish w/ a little shimmer...not sure when I will wear this color...may be good if you convert it into a lipshade w/ some vaseline?
*Trendy-pinkish champagne, along with celebrity and elegant, they're good for those 2 tone eyeshadow looks (light inner color, dark outer corner looks)...too dark for highlighting on brow bone
*Wild- dk. brown, w/ shimmer, compared to confident...this one has less reddish/mahogany undertones nad more shimmer. probably another go to on lazy days shade
*Partier- MATTE gray with blue undertones
ELF High Definition Powder
I've been hearing a whole lot about high def silicon powders and decided to give it a try since it wasn't gonna break my wallet if I don't agree with it...
Pros-Affordable, powder is finely milled, smooths out complexion, oil controlling
Cons- Could probably be silkier, gets messy once you open the cap and try to dispense product
Comments- It's probably in my mind that you get what you pay for and if you pay for something cheaper...you get lesser quality. When i rub some between my fingers...it almost feels like I'm rubbing my acrylic nail powders (for fake nails) between my fingers LoL. But if you were to smooth it out on ur skin...it does feel pretty smooth. Definitely NOT ask smooth as MUFE's high def powder or Urban Decay's Ultra Definition Finishing Powder (tried those 2 out yesterday @ Sephora). Anyway, ELF's HD Powder isn't bad for what you're paying for though. I did use a primer on my face, some light liquid foundation and then set my foundation w/ the HD Powder. I would say that in the bathroom and from a arms distance your skin will look great like a photofinish. But if you were to hold a mirror right up to your face, pores are still there! I applied with a powder brush (not the puff that came w/ it) and i DID NOT get a whitish cast on my face and it didn't discolor my makeup in anyway. like all face makeup though...you do need to let this sit on your face a bit before appreciating the full effect it does...looks better and smoother after an hour =) I'm not sure how MUFE's and UD's powder would compare on the face (since I only put int on my arm)...but those two's texture does feel superior, especially Urban Decay's, but you are also talking about them being 5x more $$ ($30 each).
FRESH Tinted Lip Treatment in Sugar
I came across this fancy lipbalm simply because I was looking for something to buy on Sephora...I was debating between this one and the Dior Lip Balm (apparently is clear but changes to your own shade of pink on your lips). I settled on this one because of the review and honestly didn't know what horrendous shade of pink would appear on my lips w/ Dior (luckily I didn't get Dior because I actually went to Sephora yesterday and it was a HOT HOT pink that popped up on my lips...very much like Smashbox's OGlow...not worth your $30)
Pros-smells delicious...it's like a lemony cake smell, very smooth and feels moisturizing and nourishing, SPF 15, nice tint
Cons-probably a bit $$ for a lip balm
Comments- Why not just stick with Chapstick brand chapstick? cuz it feels like i'm putting wax on my lips and I feel like it's not penetrating anyway. Why not Softlips? Some of the softlips limited XMAS edition scents (like sugar cookie) smells great and it's definitely a lot easier to apply than normal Chapstick..but lately I've been feeling like it just sits on my lip and feels soft when I smack my lips but it doesn't really nourish my lips.. I still get dry flaky lips when I'm not wearing it. With Fresh' lip treatment..it feels kinda nourishing...conditioning. We'll see after some time if it's worth the price
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Delectable pound cake & chocolate hazelnut coffee cream cake
*note to self...try to take better pictures =) ...i realize my pictures of my creations are so shitty... i guess most of the time it's cuz i'm not using any natural lighting since I usually bake...make stuff in the wee hours of the night...
so had a craving for light yet dense (paradox?) pound cake and actually succeeded in making a yummy one. used sugar for dusting in the loaf pan as opposed to flour for a nice sweet crunch. the pound cake came out dense yet soft with the perfect crunchy exterior.
also made a chocolate cake with coffee cream. strawberry in one layer and crunchy phyllo dough 2nd layer (no picture...lighting really sucked)
so had a craving for light yet dense (paradox?) pound cake and actually succeeded in making a yummy one. used sugar for dusting in the loaf pan as opposed to flour for a nice sweet crunch. the pound cake came out dense yet soft with the perfect crunchy exterior.
also made a chocolate cake with coffee cream. strawberry in one layer and crunchy phyllo dough 2nd layer (no picture...lighting really sucked)
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Accomplishments for the day
1) finished reading yesterday's lecture materials ><....and then sacrificed today's for #2 and #3 ^^
2) finished making a necklace for one of my good friend
3) KYO CHON CHICKEN!!!...aka korean style fried chicken =)
hmm still need to work on taking good pictures but believe me the chicken was oh so scrumptious. it just looks like maroon blob there but it really satisfied my kyo chon craving. I guess the good thing about being exiled from california for medical school is that you become self sufficient and learn to improvise. obviously I can't just drive 5 minutes to order my favorite foods, so what happens when I crave something and the next "vacation break" is not right around the corner? I learn to make it myself!!!!! it's not the first time I've made some type of fried chicken before and my major complaint about making any type of fried chicken be it orange chicken, sweet and sour chicken, etc...is that once you put the sauce on the chicken, the flour gets all soggy and loses its crispiness >< so i was crossing my fingers that this friend chicken recipe would be different...and IT IS!!!2 hours later it still has a decent amount of crunch on it. sooooi would say that today's kyo chon chicken was a success =P
2) finished making a necklace for one of my good friend
3) KYO CHON CHICKEN!!!...aka korean style fried chicken =)
hmm still need to work on taking good pictures but believe me the chicken was oh so scrumptious. it just looks like maroon blob there but it really satisfied my kyo chon craving. I guess the good thing about being exiled from california for medical school is that you become self sufficient and learn to improvise. obviously I can't just drive 5 minutes to order my favorite foods, so what happens when I crave something and the next "vacation break" is not right around the corner? I learn to make it myself!!!!! it's not the first time I've made some type of fried chicken before and my major complaint about making any type of fried chicken be it orange chicken, sweet and sour chicken, etc...is that once you put the sauce on the chicken, the flour gets all soggy and loses its crispiness >< so i was crossing my fingers that this friend chicken recipe would be different...and IT IS!!!2 hours later it still has a decent amount of crunch on it. sooooi would say that today's kyo chon chicken was a success =P
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Hallo ^^
1st post everrr on blogspot.com...is this goodbye to my livejournal of almost 10 years? =P
just took an exam on friday and instead of not falling behind again on this next course, i'm facebooking, youtubing and blogging. not too sure the advent of internet technology is that good for those that have poor self control.
not sure what I want this journal to be about...beauty tutorials? product reviews? jewelry making? fooding receipes? i have too many interests really to just limit this to one area ><. one thing for sure is it's probably going to be informal ramblings. i find it hard to blog in a non-stream of though type mode.
just took an exam on friday and instead of not falling behind again on this next course, i'm facebooking, youtubing and blogging. not too sure the advent of internet technology is that good for those that have poor self control.
not sure what I want this journal to be about...beauty tutorials? product reviews? jewelry making? fooding receipes? i have too many interests really to just limit this to one area ><. one thing for sure is it's probably going to be informal ramblings. i find it hard to blog in a non-stream of though type mode.
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