Running Low on Blog Topics here!

Blogging is more productive than playing WoW. On the real.

It's finals week. What more can I say? I've been meaning to blog, but what's interesting in my life right now? In addition to that, I haven't found the time at all last week, but that doesn't stop me from blog stalking other people /giggle. I asked a friend of mine for a topic to blog about. He simply said, "if your blog posts were pre-determined, then they wouldn't be very interesting, now would they? Defeats the purpose of a real blog. I like 'em random." Maybe new entries would be more frequent when Spring Break approaches. I'm looking forward to many adventures! :)

It's another quiet and lonely Saturday afternoon.
I initially woke up earlier when my iPod started to play Rie Fu on my iHome from a previous set alarm. I hit the sleep button and continue to doze off. At noon-ish, I finally woke up for sure when I heard a certain Lifehouse ringtone playing from my phone. The boyfriend had called to wake up my lazy ass. I hate waking up at noon because I know that my day has already been partially wasted (not to mention the other half of the day going to waste as well). However, I'm going to self-discipline myself by hitting the books, especially since the school library is open 24 hours for finals week. I have to take advantage of that. At this moment, I am hungry, but the Saturday blues kicked in, and I am at a lazy state where I don't want to leave my computer station just to get up and cook. Instead, I grabbed a slice of Asian jelly roll cake (you know, the one with the cream swirl in the center) that my mom bought me last week. It's still good, so no worries.

So what does this all mean?
I suppose that I'll try to post something that I wouldn't normally "blog" about just to enchance my entries a little, at least once a week. For example, my previous entry included a lame video of me trying to sell a book. Okay, I wasn't really trying to sell it. Also, in case you haven't noticed, I twitter a lot more constantly than I blog, so if you're interested in what I'm doing (you stalkers, you), be sure to follow me on Twitter (located on the top right corner of this blog).

This week, I shall take an essence of my guilty pleasure for reading/browsing/trolling numerous beauty blogs, and infuse it with my own blog. I have been wanting to do some beauty related stuff, but I'm too shy /blush. Then again why should I be? I'm already blogging about myself. 'Doh! Beauty-related topics have not always been a major interest of mine until I started college. It's not just makeup/beauty stuff, but I wanted to explore new things with the advantage of the ability of being able to easily adapt into new environments, but that is a topic I'll probably blog about later. From then on, this interest exploded into something desirable, and it eventually became a tiny obsession. However, I can say it died out a bit, but it's still lingering.

Personally, I think using makeup is an art. A face is a canvas that is ready to be made into something beautiful. One's face is already beautiful, but with one's beautiful features, it can be enhanced and defined to further beautify the features. Because makeup is an art to me, it also takes some skill to make the art look decent. With lots of practice and exposure, one can make a doodle transform into a masterpiece.

I will share reviews/opinions and show some products that make me happy (because many of us have bought things that make us unhappy LOL). This entry is more for my lady readers, but who knows, maybe my male readers might find it interesting!

And of course, I will end the blog with some random photos I took during the course of this past week (or two?). Initially, I was going to consider my friend's idea of just posting a collection of photos I took this week and not type any words aside from the title. It's kind of hard for me to do so.

First of all, the camera I have been using is from my (very sexy)Nokia N95 smartphone. It is a (just as sexy) 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens (think Sony Cybershot lens, although the line is not that great in my opinion). Consumers can readily buy 14+ megapixel cameras nowadays, but I personally think that 5 megapixels is enough for me to capture certain details of things that I shoot. However, I do want to save up for a nice SLR camera so that I can take professional looking pictures. Despite what you all say about photography class back in high school, I actually learned something with all of Mr. Levie's lectures. I (want to believe) understand the basics of how a camera works, and I want to be able to utilize it. /sigh I digress. The point of this paragraph is to explain that most of the pictures that I post on this blog are taken with my phone's camera. Sometimes it's not of complete clarity, lest I take pictures in natural sunlight, the quality is at its best.


First one up, a travel case for cosmetics from Bath and Body Works outlet.

Features: Dimensions are about 10" x 14" Black exterior, cute pink interior. Comes with three cosmetic bags with velcro strips on the bottom of each to adhere on the case.
Price: $9 at the outlet, $18 at the retail store.
Pros: I got it at a great price, not to mention the individual cosmetics bags that came included! The pink interior and black exterior caught my eye. It also came in white and green, but a white exterior gets dirty real easily.
Cons: I have yet to use this, thus I don't know of any cons. If you want it at this price, you'd have to go to the Fashion Show Outlet at Primm Valley near Vegas. Otherwise, you can go to your local Bath and Body Works and buy it for $18.

Notes: I believe this was an overstock item, so they were able to sell it at half the price. For someone like me who goes to Vegas all the time, I can get these real easily. My mother got mad at me for buying "useless" stuff like this, but I can carry sooo much with this bag. I have been looking for an affordable portable cosmetic bag for me to carry with me when I'm traveling, whether it be going back home, sleeping over somewhere, or even going on long trips.


The following products are listed from left to right in this picture. These are a few of my favorite skin products :D


1. Olay Complete All Day Moisture Lotion w/ SPF 15

Features: from the back of the bottle "Antioxidant Vitamin E; SPF 15; 100% Color and Fragrance Free; Dematologist tested and Recommended; Aloe; Light, Non-Greasy Formula; Non-Comedogenic (Won't Clog Pores). 6.0 FL Oz. (177 mL for you metric people).
Price: $8-$9 I think... I'm sure it's cheaper at Costco, if you plan to buy it in bulk.
Pros: It's really light and moisturizing, as well as SPF. It doesn't clog pores. For our convenience, my mom has stashed several bottles of these in the house, because we literally cannot go through the day without starting it off with this stuff! It also has a slight scent of baby powder, although the description says that its "100% fragrance free..."
Cons: Nothing wrong with it yet... and I've been using this stuff for at least 10 years now. For me, if we go traveling somewhere, and I forget to pack this, my mom would bite my head off for it because she tends to not pack something she thinks I've already packed. LOL.
Repurchase? Of course!

Note: One of my "holy grail" items, I cannot live without using a moisturizer during the day. I absolutely cannot stand having dry skin in the morning after I wash my face, so I MUST apply this.

2. Seaweed Deep Cleansing Facial Wash from the Body Shop

Features: description from the bottle "Soap-free, oil-free, and deep cleanses and conditions the skin without over drying. With Community Trade seaweed to balance and hydrate. The result? Clean, clear, shine-free skin. For Combination/Oily skin, oil-balancing lather to remove impurities, make-up and excess oil." 3.3 fl oz. (100mL)
Price: $12 at the Body Shop. Use your Body Shop card to get 10% off.
Pros: It smells really nice, like aloe? Showed immediate results after using it, but works best if you use it's line's toner too. My skin was left shineless from oil, so I am a happy customer. You also feel a slight tingle post usage hehe.
Cons: It's price is a bit much for this small bottle, but it works.
Repurchase? Probably so. I should've bought it when the buy 2, get 1 free deal was around. Oh well.

3. Vitamin E Eye Cream from the Body Shop

Features: "Helps reduce appearance of fine lines, puffiness and dark circles. For all skin types." 0.5 fl oz. (15mL)
Price: $17 at the Body Shop. Use your Body Shop card to receive 10% off.
Pros: After using this for a month now, the skin around my eyes showed slight improvment in terms of wrinkles and puffiness. The design of this tube is also quite sanitary because I squeeze out the amount that I need instead of inserting my fingers into a pot or something.
Cons: Price for this small tube... hmm I wonder if there is an alternative product that works for a cheaper price hehe.
Repurchase? Probably not, until I find a better alternative. Any suggestions?

4. Cleaning Express Sebum (Oily Skin) by Mandom

Features: description from bottle in Japanese " Kareshingu ekusuburesu. kareshingu ro-shun shibamu. Ready for bed as soon as possible!" This translates to "cleansing express. Cleansing lotion sebum." This is basically a makeup remover. 300mL
Price: $12.99 from Takeshima, or your local Japanese supermarket.
Pros: It does not irritate my eyes at all, and removes the most stubborn of eye makeup. It's apparently "water-based" as well. The pump from the packaging makes this product even easier to use! Just have some cotton pads ready.
Cons: None yet, you just have to purchase this product at specific places. Luckily for me, I live around Asian stores and is a frequent Little Toyko visitor. /thumbs up
Repurchase? Heck yeah. It's soo much better than the Sephora makeup remover (that cute blue one), because that one stings my skin and eyes so much. Also more bang for your buck.

Note: My current "holy grail" makeup remover!

The following products are a few of my favorite cosmetics that I'd use on a daily basis (with the exception of the sharpener). They are also listed below in the picture from left to right. Beware of scary close-ups on my eyes hehe.


1. The Makeup Sharpener by Shiseido

Features: It's got a little pick that allows you to scrape off the pencil liners' residue. Made in Germany.
Price: $5, at beautyrose.com with free shipping! Or at your local Shiseido counter.
Pros: It's a sharpener that sharpens your cosmetic pencils really well. It doesn't break the "lead" at all. The little pick that is neatly tucked in it allows you to scrape the residue off, which is something that a lot of sharpeners don't have (correct me if I'm wrong).
Cons: Pssh, nothing yet.
Repurchase? If this breaks in 10 years, I'd definitely repurchase. If it breaks next month, I'll consider another sharpener.

2. Long Pretty Lashes Mascara in Black 01 from Clinique

Before --> After
Features: description from website "Exclusive lengthening formula extends lashes up to 30% without flaking or clumping. Creates full, feathery, natural-looking lashes that are soft to the touch. Ophthalmologist tested."
Price: $13, at your local Clinque retailer, or at your local CCO for a fraction of the price!
Pros: This mascara does not clump at all. It really does create natural-looking lashes for me! It lasts all day and the price isn't that bad for a non-drugstore mascara.
Cons: Hmm.. none yet!
Repurchase? Heck yeah! Especially since I go to CCO every time I go to Vegas, I can get this with no problem when I run out.

3. Bad Gal Lash in Rich Black by Benefit Cosmetics

Before --> After
Features: description from website "With a big, bad brush and a rich, black formula, BADgal lash mascara is like wearing a set of false eyelashes without the glue." 8.5 g net wt 0.3 oz
Price: $19, at your local Benefit counter.
Pros: Volumizes and lengthens my lashes, as well as looking like false lashes after application. For best results, use a lash primer! My mom thought I had false lashes on LOL. The tube is quite large for a mascara tube, but it's quite chic hehe.
Cons: Does not hold a curl at all /sadface. I don't think I want to spend $20+ on mascara anymore. I'm sticking with my Long Pretty Lashes.
Repurchase? No.

4. The Makeup Eyebrow Pencil in Ash Blond by Shiseido

Features: description from sephora.com "This firm, yet gentle pencil provides true color and natural-looking definition." 1g.
Price: $16, at your local Shiseido counter.
Pros: I was not born blessed with nice eyebrows. In fact, my brows are just really light with really thin hair. As a result, my mom introduced me to the Shiseido counter LOL. Along with the Shiseido employee, we found the perfect color to define my brows without them having to look really gross and unnatural. It is slightly lighter than my skin color. This is one of the only products that my mom bought me just because she thought that it's what I really need. Shows you how much she hates my brows LOL.
Cons: Hmm.. nothing yet!
Repurchase? Definitely, when I run out.

5. Aqua Eyes in 0L Mat Black by Make Up For Ever

Features: description from sephora.com "These waterproof eyeshadow and eye liner pencils contain a unique formula that adheres to the eyelids and resists water even under the most extreme conditions, without running or fading." 0.04g.
Price: $17, at your local Sephora.
Pros: Honestly, with my super-oily non-existent lids, it's hard for me to find a pencil liner that works well, meaning no creasing and smearing. Despite it being waterproof, this stuff glides on like butter, as well as smudgable to your liking. Using an eyeshadow base is pretty much inevitable for my oily lids, but it works like a dream.
Cons: $17 for an eyeliner is pretty steep, but it's worth it so far.
Repurchase? Depends on when I run out. I'm starting to use this stuff on a daily basis.

Notes: I love this liner, a lot. Pencil liners never worked really well for me. I used to use the Loreal HIP cream liner, just because it worked best for me at the time, but it didn't look as natural as I wanted it to look, as well as constantly washing the brush used for application became a hassle.

6. Shadow Insurance by Too Faced

Features: from sephora.com "This is your full-coverage insurance policy against all fading, creasing, melting, blurring, oil slicked, and hard-to-blend eyeshadow accidents. Our silicone based eyeshadow primer transforms any eyeshadow into a perfectly blendable, color-drenched, intensified version of itself, then locks it down perfectly until you take it off. This soothing formula evens out the skintone on your lids and smoothes lines while securing a barrier between the oils of your skin and your makeup, so no shadow catastrophes will ever happen again." 0.35oz.
Price: $17 at your local department store, or Sephora. I got it on sale for $13 hehe.
Pros: My super oily lids are really a pain. Creasing became a huge problem for me, until I got this product! It prevents creasing so well for me. The packaging seems pretty sanitary because it comes in a tube. Before this stuff, I used to get primer from a pot/jar. A little bit also goes a long way.
Cons: It smells like rock. Literally. But it's not like I use my eyes to smell.
Repurchase? Yeah I would, as long as I continue you use eye makeup.

/phew There goes my ginormous list of reviews hehe. I wonder if anyone would go through all this and read word for word. Just another beauty blog entry, right? WRONG. My blog isn't centered on beauty: it is first and formost, more of a food/personal blog.

Here are some photos!




Enjoy the rest of your weekend!