Simply Susie

Blackberry Cloud Cake

2011-05-09T23:55:00.001-07:00

Happy belated Mother's Day! To celebrate the best woman I know, I made a Blackberry Cloud Cake from a recipe in Martha Stewart Living (also found here).

Meringue, spread into a sheet pan and ready to bake.

Blackberries, mascerating.

The beautiful lavender color in the whipped cream filling can be attributed to the strained and seeded blackberry puree that I made with some of the blackberries.

The rest of the berries were served on the side with a generous slice of cake.

This cake was very appropriately named; the texture was light and fluffy and absolutely perfect for a spring day. I reduced the amount of sugar in the cake recipe by about 1/3 cup and omitted the confectioner's sugar in the whipped cream since my mom does not care for overly-sweet desserts. The fresh berries combined with the melt-in-your-mouth cake were a perfect ending to lunch with my mama! <3

Homemade Popovers

2011-03-21T12:37:00.000-07:00

After a weekend of relentless rain and wind and a dreary forecast of another week of the same, there's nowhere I would rather be than indoors baking up a batch of these babies. I don't usually go for pans/utensils that only serve a single purpose, but made an exception in this case because this recipe for these popovers seemed like the perfect quick/easy/tasty baked good for both breakfasts and as a side for dinner. They come together in a jiffy, and, as my family can attest, who can resist the smell of butter wafting through the house in the morning?

I had mine with a generous smear of good European-style butter and some strawberry preserves (don't forget the cuppa Earl Grey!), but foresee adding grated cheese and chives in the future for a tasty side to some soup or chili.

Yum! :)

On Heavy Rotation.

2011-03-16T01:40:00.000-07:00

A weeks-old picture of my three current favorites when they were still new. I somehow got lucky and managed to grab the last Blush G Serie Noire from the nearest Guerlain counter and the second to last Ombres Perlees eyeshadow palette from Chanel. I winced a little (ok, a lot) when I handed over my debit card, and I reallyreallyreally wish it weren't true, but you really do get what you pay for. The blush and the eyeshadow (especially) are so buttery and apply like a dream. I haven't put them down since they came home with me. As for the nail polish, I set a personal record of 5 weeks in a row when it became all I wanted to reach for as my weekly manicure. I have probably sent myself down a rabbit hole considering this high-end makeup obsession comes attached to some scary price tags (can you say gateway drugs??), but guess what? This Alice continues to knowingly and obligingly follow the white bunny. :)

Chanel Le Vernis in 547 Pulsion

2010-12-22T02:25:00.000-08:00

I take back what I said in my last post regarding muted nail colors. The moment I saw Pulsion at the Chanel counter, that tame streak ended and now I'm back on with bright fingers. :)

Pulsion is an electric, fuchsia-pink creme that provides full opacity in 1 layer. The formula is probably the best I have ever tried on (for the price, it better be!). The color is probably not the most unique, but I don't care! I love it, and can see this looking beautiful on summer toesies.

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In other news, a package arrived for me on Saturday. Guess what it is?? ;)

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Yup, my Benefit Bella Bamba's! I've been impatiently waiting for this release and snatched up three (one for me, two for Christmas presents) on the first day it debuted on Benefit's site. I love Benefit's boxed powders/blushes, and from the peeks I've taken of this new one, I have a feeling it's going to rocket to the top of my favorites list. Still trying to get myself to break the new surface of it. Anyone else do this with new products??

It's been so rainy and cold here in Northern California. Hopefully the sun will come out soon and I'll get an opportunity to get some good pictures of Bella Bamba. Review and swatches to come!

<3

Essie Sew Psyched

2010-12-16T00:11:00.000-08:00

Been feeling the more muted colors on my nails lately...Essie Sew Psyched fits in nicely with all the other nudes, greiges, and greys without being TOO boring. After all, I still crave a little bit of color! Love.

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake

2010-12-15T01:07:00.000-08:00

A late, random update! I made some bourbon pumpkin cheesecake over Thanksgiving. It's one of the most impressive-looking cheesecakes I've ever made. It's always nerve-racking for me to make cheesecakes, but this one went off without a hitch. Yay!

Pouring the batter into the pan

Results! Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Graham-Pecan Crust and Sour Cream Topping

Close up

My cheesecake + the pumpkin pie I also made for Thanksgiving :)

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It's 1am here in California and my body has finally succumbed to the cold that has been going around. I'm full of sniffles and sneezes, not to mention an extremely sore throat. Gah! I hate being sick! :(

Hope everyone else is in better health!

weekends are made for baking

2010-11-22T22:06:00.000-08:00

To me, there is nothing better after a long week than designating half a day out of my weekend to baking a few things on my To Cook List. I wake up after a much-needed, long 8-hour sleep feeling ready to tackle new recipes. I take my time getting out of bed, pad downstairs in my jammies, and a nice cup of hot tea or coffee later, I start pulling out various bowls, measuring cups, and jars of flour and sugar. The past weekend, I had two projects in mind: first, some pumpkin Nutella bread (above) that had been on my mind for a month now, and secondly, my first commissioned (!!!) birthday cake that my cousin requested for her mom! :) She gave me free rein over the whole thing, so I decided to make a chocolate cake with raspberry filling and chocolate frosting.

After pureeing and straining out about a million seeds from my raspberries, I cooked it with some sugar and a bit of cornstarch to make the filling.

Layering the cake with raspberry filling.

Crumb coating to help keep the frosting smooth~

Final application of frosting!

I jazzed up the otherwise plain-looking cake with some colorful birthday candles and mini star sprinkles--aren't they cute??

Close up of the sprinkles

The result! It took me about 7 hours to bake, assemble, and clean everything after these two most recent projects. I should have been tired, but I felt so happy with the (really yummy and well-appreciated) results that I was ready to take on the second half of my Saturday, which included my aunt's birthday party and the latest HARRY POTTER!!! I'm a huge Potter fan, so it was a nice way to end my day. :)

Mexican Hot Chocolate

2010-11-19T00:52:00.000-08:00

Is there anything better on these chilly autumn days than a good cup of hot chocolate? I think not. Today I took some time out for myself after a long day at work to make this spin on traditional cocoa. Decadent and creamy, with an extra punch of heat from some cinnamon and cayenne, this drink definitely lifted my mood and kept me warm long after I drained my cup. You could use nonfat/soy milk, but I did myself a favor and went all the way with whole milk and a good bit of Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate. Aaah...now I feel more ready to face the colder days ahead. :)

MAC Cut-A-Caper Lipstick

2010-11-18T02:08:00.000-08:00

Though the packaging from MAC's A Tartan Tale collection was pretty cute, none of the products really appealed to me besides this lustre lipstick in Cut-A-Caper.

It's a cute, soft coral-peach that's right up my alley. In person, the lipstick looks brighter than this picture, which is what attracted me initially. I love bright lip products! However, when swatched on my hand and lips, it was rather disappointing for me.

First of all, it applied too sheer for my liking. This swatch probably took about 5-6 swipes for this amount of opacity.

Compared to my MUFE Rouge Artist Intense in #38 (left), Cut-A-Caper (right) is definitely lighter and more peachy. However, the MUFE lipstick only took 1 swipe to get that color as opposed to the 5-6 that Cut-A-Caper required.

Lip swatch

Yes, it is pretty enough on the lips after a few layers, and yes it isn't too drying, but it tends to settle into my fine lines and to be honest, the color isn't unique enough to make up for its lack in pigment. In fact, on my lips it looked very close to my (much cheaper) Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick in Pink Please. Again, this is all a matter of my opinion. Cut-A-Caper just didn't make the cut for me, so back it went. Oh well, better luck next time!

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P.S. The dress I'm wearing in the picture above is the same one I'm wearing in the picture below. It's from the collaboration Tucker did with Target (yay!). I bought 3 pieces from this collection (including this and this) and love them all.

Coolest part about this dress? It has pockets which are so seamlessly integrated that you can't even tell they're there. In fact, I didn't even realize it had pockets until I was smoothing out my dress one day. I thought I had ripped a hole in it, haha! Worn with a braided belt from F21 and red pumps from Nine West.

Sephora FF & VIB Sale 2010 Haul

2010-11-17T19:43:00.000-08:00

So after returning a few items I deemed unworthy after testing, this is the final stash that I came out with from this year's Sephora Friends & Family and V.I.B. sales. Most of the items are necessary refills that I use on a daily basis, but I did indulge in some new products that I'm quite happy with. :)

The Final Cut:
-Too Faced Enchanted Glamourland
-Boscia Peppermint Blotting Linens
-Dr. Dennis Gross Extra Strength Alpha Beta Peel
-Rene Furterer Dry Shampoo
-Clinique All About Eyes
- Guerlain Rouge G lipstick in #64 Gemma
-NARS blush in Sin
-Purity Made Simple Luxury Size
-Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation Primer
-Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Foundation
-Laura Mercier Mineral Powder SPF 15 (not shown)
-Laura Mercier Secret Concealer (not shown)
-Clarisonic Replacement Brush Head Twin-Pack in Sensitive (not shown)
-Make Up For Ever Lip Brush #3N (not shown)

Seeing this list puts me on the verge of a heart attack, so I keep having to remind myself that the majority of the items are things that I use every day, and only 4 (Guerlain lippie, Too Faced palette, NARS blush, Laura Mercier creme foundation) are really considered "indulgences."

Ahem. Yup. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! :P

Did anyone else haul from Sephora during this season's two biggest sales? Do share! :)

2010-11-17T01:07:00.000-08:00

Hello...again! I know, I know, I've been so bad at updating this blog. My last post was over a month ago. October was super hectic yet went by so quickly that I felt like I never had a moment to sit down and write. So, in an effort to be more regular with the postings, I've decided to do more short, to the point updates rather than attempt entire detailed reviews. That way, it will be easier and more fun for me to keep up with this, and that should be the whole point of blogging right?? Of course, I will still write reviews on things I acquire/like, but at the same time I will post more random life, fashion, food-related (my favorite!) subjects. Like....my new favorite toy!

I went to LA a few weeks ago for a relaxing weekend, which I spent catching up with college friends and eating everything I had been missing. The bf and I went to the new, swankier mall section of Third Street Promenade and wandered into the Disney Store. The moment I saw this toy, I knew I had to have it!

Just looks like any old regular green bean...

But unzip it.....

....and you'll find the cutest little peas in a pod from Toy Story 3! They only made a brief appearance in the movie, but I remember thinking they were so adorable. I practically squealed when I saw this in the store, and even picked up another one for the boy's little sister. It's currently sitting on top of my bed frame's ledge, fully unzipped so you can see the little guys inside. :)

Anyway, it's 1am here in California, so off to bed I go. Consider this the first of many mini posts.

Ciao! <3

Zoya Flame for Winter 2010: Swatches and Review

2010-09-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

EDIT 11/19/2010: This collection is now called "Flame" instead of "Fire and Ice" due to some trademark issues with Revlon. Apparently Revlon already had a collection by that name. Sorry for the confusion!

Imagine my surprise when I found Zoya's Winter 2010 collection as I was browsing for nail polish. Named "Fire and Ice," this is Zoya's ultra shimmery, ultra stunning line for winter. Yes, winter! I haven't even worn any of from my fall collections haul and I'm already skipping ahead to winter. In my defense, these were hard to resist. I love shimmery polishes, and from the moment I saw the color samples online, I knew my wallet was going to be in trouble.

The collection consists of 6 different colors, but I ended up only picking out 4 that I liked the most. The other 2, called Lisa (red with gold sparkles) and Sarah (magenta with gold sparkles), weren't really special to me so I passed on those. I couldn't find any swatches of this collection on any of my favorite nail polish blogs, so I'm guessing that the collection hasn't been officially released yet? I read somewhere that it's supposed to come out on October 1st. Oh well, I found these at my local beauty supply shop, so I figure that if I was able to buy them in a store open to the public, I should be able to show them online to you, my dear readers!

These will be perfect for the holidays. All the colors pack some serious shimmer. The formula is typical of a shimmer, which is to say a little thin and sheer, so I did 3 coats for all of the swatches. Dry time was pretty good; I was able to paint the nails on my left to right hand and back without significant wait time in between. The only gripe I have with these polishes is that they are a pain to remove. The polish itself isn't difficult to take off, but expect gold glitter residue everywhere! Even after a good wipe down with 4 remover-soaked cotton balls, I can still see some tiny flecks here and there. Still, these exceeded my expectations in terms of looks. I thought it would be harder to let go of the mint greens, yellows, and bright pinks I've been sporting all summer, but these lovely shades make the transition to colder weather easy.

So, without further ado, I present to you my personal favorites from Zoya Fire and Ice for Winter 2010. Click on the pictures for a closer look! :)

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The first is called Tiffany, and I would describe it as a pink/peach champagne with gold shimmer. I'm not usually drawn to colors like this, but Tiffany is so pretty! I can see myself wearing this a lot. It makes me think of New Year's and bottles of bubbly popping open, haha! It's a nice way to do a light pink without veering towards spring's pastel version. It's very refined-looking; I think it will match beautifully with medium skin tones. My second favorite from the collection.

Natural light

With flash

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The second is called Gloria. Out of the 4 I picked up, Gloria is probably the least unique, though that doesn't mean it's ugly! On the contrary, Gloria is a bright red pink with gold shimmer that will be nice on both hands and toes. A different way to do red. It's the perfect color to wear come December 25th as you stand underneath some mistletoe ;)

Natural light

With flash

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The third polish I picked up is my personal favorite from this collection. Valerie is a deep purple shimmer that has flashes of orange/yellow. Gorgeous. Looks great on lighter skin tones!

Natural light

With flash

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The last one I picked up is called Crystal, and it's a light blue with gold shimmer. I'm pretty biased towards this color and picked it up mainly because they're UCLA colors. ;) I would probably wear Crystal to a tailgate for this football season if I were still living in LA (GO BRUINS!). Football or not, this is still a very pretty color. I've heard that it could be a dupe for OPI's Absolutely Alice, but I think this is a much lighter, frostier blue.

Natural light

With flash

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Alrighty, those are my thoughts on Zoya's Winter 2010 collection! If you do happen to see these in stores before October 1st, make sure to grab some. I would probably pick up Valerie and Tiffany, as these are the 2 stand outs in the collection in my opinion.

Have a great Thursday!

<3

Fall 2010 Nail Polish Frenzy!

2010-09-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

After trying and failing to find Chanel's Les Khakis collection (By the way, this is what sucks about living in Northern California as opposed to LA. In LA, I could have chosen from 3 different retailers within 15 minutes of my apartment that would have stocked all of the Chanel polishes. Here, the closest--and only!--place that would have it is in San Francisco. ARGH!), I guess I went a little crazy and assuaged my pain by picking up items from 3 other Fall 2010 nail polish collections (plus one Winter 2010 collection!). I know. I have a problem. I admit it! I gave in. I am weak to the charms of pretty nails.

Just how badly did I break down??

This badly.

Yeaaaa...I should really get some help. Overcompensation through overconsumption. I even hid the bag of polishes inside my purse when I got home so that the boy wouldn't see it. That's when you know there's something wrong! Hahaha...do any of you ever do that? Hide your purchases/receipts from loved ones? Sneak around with your newly-bought goods?? Say "Oh, I've had this for a while" when someone asks you if it's new??? If so, then hello. I'm a fellow addict.

But can you blame a girl? Just look!

First, I picked up a mini set of Essie's Fall 2010 collection, which includes (from left to right): Little Brown Dress, Merino Cool, Limited Addiction, and Sew Psyched (which I was so psyched about because it's the closest I'll get to Chanel's Khaki Vert).

Then I saw OPI's Swiss Fall Collection and thought "Ooh! I don't have anything pine green (Cuckoo For This Color), gunmetal (Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous), or dark teal (Ski Teal We Drop)!" And before you knew it, three more bottles were in my basket.

Then of course, there were the 2 collections that I've reallyyyyyy been looking forward to: Orly's Cosmic FX for Fall 2010 and Zoya's Fire and Ice for Winter 2010.

And whaddaya know? The beauty store I went to had both! There was no way I was passing up these babies.

Lunar Eclipse, Space Cadet (MY FAVE!), and Haley's Comet. Lunar Eclipse and Haley's Comet have almost exact dupes, but I don't own any of them, so I picked them up. Space Cadet was just too cool to leave behind. If I had to pick JUST ONE (though I wouldn't anyway, lol), it would be Orly's Space Cadet.

Finally, there's Zoya's Fire and Ice Collection. All shimmery, beautiful, and perfect for this upcoming season. I picked up my four favorites

Valerie, Tiffany, Crystal, Gloria. Can't wait to use all of them!

Now the question is.......which one first?? :)

MAC Viva Glam Cyndi Lipglass

2010-09-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

When MAC collaborated a few months ago with Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga to create 2 Viva Glam lipsticks, I was really excited to check out the collection and possibly pick up something. Cyndi Lauper is responsible for one of my all time favorite songs, one that even my mom knows and loves, which is why I grew up listening to it: "Time After Time" :)

I ended up getting the Cyndi lipstick, since its soft coral red proved to be more wearable on me than Gaga's more pale baby pink. I've been wearing it on and off ever since. I really liked it because it transitions beautifully from season to season and from day to night. It looks great both in warmer and colder seasons thanks to its coral tinge, which keeps it from looking straight red.

Then, when I heard recently that MAC was also coming out with Cyndi and Gaga lipglasses in the same shades as the lipsticks, I was as excited as the first time I heard of the collaboration. Again, I tried both Cyndi and Gaga, but ended up with the Cyndi lipglass for the same reason: it's just easier to wear.

The lipglass comes with MAC's typical doe foot applicator, and the formula, also typical of lipglasses, is on the stickier side. I usually hate sticky lipglosses, but I found that I don't mind as much in this case because it helps with the staying power.

The Cyndi shade is so pretty! Here's a swatch of the lipglass (left) and the lipstick (right). As you can see, the gloss is more opaque than the lipstick, but on the lips it looks juicy and bright without going overboard.

On my lips

See? Nice! :)

I think this picture shows the color better. You can really see the coral here~

Overall, I'm loving it. It goes nicely with my Cyndi lipstick. On its own, the lipglass adds a shiny pop of color to the face. Paired with a lipstick underneath, the coral red is intensified and looks even more gorgeous. I would definitely recommend checking out/picking up Cyndi in either lipstick or lipglass form (or even better, both!). Then, go listen to an oldie but goodie as you put it on :)

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

2010-09-19T23:17:00.000-07:00

I've been trying my hand at bread-baking lately, and let me tell you, it's HARD! I've had my fair share of difficult dishes (temperamental Thanksgiving turkeys and deflating souffles come to mind), but making your own bread is on a whole different level.

I've been stalking food blogs and forums for tips and tricks on how to make different kinds of bread, and it's mind-boggling how many things you have to consider when you finally decide which one to make. I truly admire the hard work and dedication of the people out there whose experiences make mine a little easier. Even though I take what they say into consideration, it's still darn DIFFICULT!

There are so many factors that go into making a single loaf of bread: yeast, timing, temperature, risings, ovens, your hands'/mixer's kneading prowess, etc...and there are different steps to take for every kind of bread! Sourdough, brioche, ciabatta, focaccia, baguette, and even your basic sliced white bread require specific conditions and a whole lot of watching and waiting. It's enough to make me want to forget about it all and just drive to the nearest market and pick up a prepared loaf. Plus, my poor mixer is threatening to commit suicide if I make any more bread this week. Something about too much kneading.

Except.....

There really is nothing like homemade bread. Nothing! Despite all the hardship you had to endure, during which you cursed yourself for messing up a single small step which caused the entire dough's demise, got even more angry when you realized that you just spent 5 hours on a failed project, or beat yourself up for even taking on the task in the first place...Making bread, to me, is like love.

You give it everything you've got, nurturing it and keeping it as warm as you can. It's emotional and dependent upon the amount of care you put into it. It definitely asks for a lot of your time and awareness, and if you neglect it, it will fail.

However, if you make the effort, remain patient, watch over it faithfully, and use your instincts correctly, then the end results are phenomenal.

And it will make you happy! The smell of freshly-baked bread will weave itself throughout your home and suddenly, things don't seem so bad after all and you will wonder why you don't do this more often. :)

For my latest forays into the world of bread, I've been using this recipe. It seemed like the most simple but impressive-looking recipe. Also, I already had all the ingredients on hand. I've made it 3 times, and each time, it got easier and looked/tasted better. I even made a loaf to give to the bf's family when I was invited over for dinner. It's been a hit with everyone who has tasted it, and, like the recipe states, is excellent for French toast. Next time, I'm going to add the optional raisins to the dough!

I wanted to share this with you, even though Sunday is almost over. Making bread is a weekend project that's totally worth your time. Recipes will say that the prep time may take 4-5 hours or even overnight, but a lot of that time is for the risings, which don't require you to do anything but monitor warm conditions and wait. You could watch a movie, spend time with loved ones, or get other errands done while the dough is rising. I would make a loaf on Saturday, and use the leftovers (if there are any!) for a French toast breakfast on Sunday.

Just don't be overzealous with the humidity as I was the first time or you will end up with this:

Overly-rapid yeast! This was after the first rising...haha. It only looked puffy, but once I touched it, it deflated to its original size. No good!

Bread-making is definitely trial and error, and possibly a lot of frustration and anxiety (at least for me!), but like any labor of love, the end result will have you coming back again ;)

Maybelline NYFW 2010 Nail Polish #642 Gray-T Glamour

2010-09-18T02:30:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! It's 2am here in California, and I am just about to pass out, but I wanted to post this before I go to bed. This is the second item that I got from the Maybelline NYFW collection. Now, I'm not sure if this is considered part of Maybelline's fall collection or if it's solely for Fashion Week, but I do hope that they extend the availability of the items into winter, because both of the things I got are sooo worth snagging for yourself!

This nail polish definitely caught my eye because it stood out amongst the dark reds and purples of the display. I don't have any color like it, so I'm really happy that I found a pretty gray polish--and it's by Maybelline no less!

I would describe this as a blue-gray polish with ultra fine shimmer. The shimmer is almost imperceptible, but there's enough in it to keep the polish from looking like flat cement. The formula is surprisingly excellent. I say "surprisingly" because I haven't always had good experiences with Maybelline polishes in the past. They're usually goopy and hard to use. This particular polish applies pretty much flawlessly. The brush is a little more stiff than I'm used to, but I found that it makes the application more quick and easy since it allows for precision. It only required 2 coats to be opaque. I didn't time myself to see if it would really dry in 50 seconds (I also used a quick-dry top coat), but I cooked dinner and washed dishes right after I gave myself a manicure, and it's still looking fresh hours later. I would say that the wearing power (so far) is good.

2 coats, natural light. Pretty, isn't it? Too bad my camera isn't good enough to capture its greatness. For a better idea of how the polish looks, check out this swatch.

With flash. This picture is better because it shows the gorgeous shimmer, and the color here is more true to life~

My FOTD using my new Maybelline products! A look inspired by the display's model :)

On my face:
-Laura Mercier Secret Concealer
-Laura Mercier Mineral Powder SPF 15
-Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder
-Stila Custom Color Blush

Eyes:
-Diorshow Iconic Waterproof Mascara
-Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes in 0L
-Benefit Kohl Pencil in Royale

Lips:
-Maybelline Color Sensational in Wined & Dined (review here)

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Alrighty, that's it for tonight. I'm so happy it's Saturday! Time to sleep in and enjoy the weekend. Have a great 2 day break everyone!

<3

Maybelline NYFW 2010 Lipstick #939 Wined & Dined

2010-09-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

As promised, today I have the first item that I picked up from Maybelline's newest collection that they created for this year's New York Fashion Week (which just ended yesterday!).

I was pretty excited when I saw this display in Ulta since I've been following the fashion show pictures that have been popping up on blogs all week. Though food and make-up are both dear to my heart, I am also a giddy girl when it comes to clothes! NYFW is the ultimate dream come true for both designers and consumers alike: beautiful clothes, killer shoes, accessories to die for...all in one of the greatest cities in the world. What's not to like?? So, even though I couldn't be in New York this time of year, it's still nice to have something that connects me to it all.

When I saw the Maybelline display, the first thing that caught my eye was the model's bold red lips and secondly, her cute blue-gray nails. I picked up both the nail polish and one of the 2 red lipsticks offered. I haven't done a manicure with the polish yet, so for now I have for you the lipstick!

This is from the Color Sensational line, just like this one, but unlike the other's pale pinkness, #939 Wined & Dined is defininitely on the bolder end of the spectrum.

Wined & Dined is a deep brick red, the exact shade of red that I've always wanted to rock with pale, flawless skin, a slick cat eye, and perhaps some faux fur and a pair of slick knee-high boots. ;) In other words, it's precisely what I would imagine myself wearing if I were roaming the streets of New York right now, at this beautiful time of year when summer is beginning to fade into fall.

It's pretty much perfect for fall and winter. I think it's actually more wearable than a blue-based red, especially during the day. It's a very sophisticated red that, if used moderately, could be worn to both work and a black tie affair. I'm in love!

The shade has an old Hollywood feel to it, and would be flattering on both medium and light skin tones. The formula is quite opaque without being drying, just like the rest of the Color Sensational line.

The only bad thing about this lipstick (though it is by no means the product's failure) is that I have to take my time applying it, but this is typical of every red lipstick. The effort it takes to put this on perfectly is worth it though! I'm very happy with the results :)

Be back later with the nail polish!

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick #025 Pink Please

2010-09-16T23:38:00.000-07:00

Maybelline came out with their Color Sensational line about a year ago, and since then, I've bought, wore, and loved the ones I got. I never did a review or swatch any of them on this site, so today I want to share with you my favorite shade. :)

It's called Pink Please, and although it's wayyy cheaper than a department store lipstick, its low price does not mean it's low quality. I picked up a back up tube of this because I love it so much.

The packaging looks sleek and the caps come in multiple shades that categorize the lipsticks by different color families. For example, the pink family has these dark pink caps, the neutrals/nudes have brown caps, plums/berries are purple, and the corals/reds have red caps.

For a drugstore lipstick, I'm very impressed. It doesn't dry out my lips, the formula is neither too sheer nor too opaque, there's no weird smell, and there are many colors to choose from.

Personally, I think it swatches a lot darker on the arm than on the lips. This is about 3 layers since I wanted to show the color, but I usually use about 2 layers on my lips.

Love this color! It's noticeably pink, but soft enough that it could also be considered a nude lipstick. Totally appropriate for daytime use and even for the office.

In fact...

I wore it to work today and have been doing so for the past 2 weeks! It's my go-to color right now because it's so easy to use. I just throw one into my bag whenever I go out since I can apply it quickly without a mirror. Plus, it's great when I'm trying to streamline and only want to take one lipstick with me that can transition from day to night.

During the day, it's a natural face with light lips. After work, the only other thing I need is some black or gunmetal eyeshadow to up the volume on the eyes. A swipe of Pink Please and I'm ready to rock a smokey eye/nude lip. Great for when you have to go out right after work!

I've seen the Color Sensational display in every drugstore/Walmart/Target that I've been too, and although there is always a nice array to choose from, I've noticed that a lot of stores do not stock all the colors. For example, my local CVS and Target do not carry Pink Please, but the Walgreen's does. So, you might have to look around if you're searching for a specific shade, but if you just want to try out the line, I would definitely recommend picking up any color that catches your eye. I haven't been disappointed yet!

---

I stopped by Ulta today and saw Maybelline's Limited Edition display with lipsticks and nail polishes that they created especially for this year's New York Fashion Week. I picked out two items that I particularly liked; can't wait to show them to you!

<3

Smith's Rosebud Salve...in a Tube!

2010-09-16T04:58:00.000-07:00

I've always seen Smith's Rosebud Salve as I stood in line for the cashier at Sephora. Several times, their cute little metal tins have called out to me as I tried to resist grabbing any more little knick knacks on the way to the register. Those clear containers that you have to line up next to? Pure evil! A guaranteed way to make a girl spend JUST A LITTLE MORE by causing acute shifty-eye-syndrome and chronic just-one-more-thing disease. They sure as heck work on me. :P

Although I've been guilty of indulging in one of those smaller-sized products near the counter, I never bought the Smith's Rosebud Salve. Even though I knew that it had rave reviews and seems to show up on everyone's list of "must-haves," I was always turned off by the little tin. Even though it's vintage-looking and cute (and, in addition to the original Rose-scented balm, also comes in flavors like Minted Rose and Strawberry), every time I opened the sample, the product inside was melted and all over the place, making it look very messy and unhygienic. And so, I would wistfully walk away from a potentially great lip balm because of its packaging.

This all changed when I discovered that they now have the same lip balm in a tube! I picked one up right away and have been using it religiously ever since. This product really is wonderful. It smells of roses, but not in an overbearing way. Just very clean and comforting. Apparently it's a "multitasking miracle balm" that "not only moisturizes and soothes dry lips; it also calms and heals irritation, soothes the sting of minor burns, helps heal cuts, tames mangled cuticles, helps fix ashy elbows and knees, and minimizes diaper rash."

Close up of the tube opening

I haven't tried it on anything but my lips, but I'm sure that it would work great on ragged cuticles and dry spots. The formula feels moisturizing without being sticky. It goes on very easily due to its almost gloss-like consistency. It comes out as a pale peachy pink, but goes on clear. The only gripe I have with this lip balm is that I find it doesn't go well with lipstick if you're planning to wear some on top of it. Because it's so shiny and glossy, lipstick won't go on as well as it would with, say, a drier stick formula like Burt's Bees. That being said, I don't really have any complaints because I'm fine with using this balm on its own. It adds some shine without color, perfect to put on without a mirror and then go on with my day. I wouldn't say it's my pick for favorite lip balm, but it's definitely up there in terms of quality, value ($6 for the tube and $7 for the tin, but I think it will last you a while either way), and cuteness factor.

If you're already a fan, but are tired of the tin leaking melted lip balm all over your purse or having to use your finger, you'll like this new convenient tube format. If you've never tried Rosebud Salve, you should give it a go, especially now that they have a variety of packaging for you to choose from.

If you're doubtful, just give in to that little voice inside your head and pick up a cute tin or tube the next time you're in line at Sephora. ;)

You won't be disappointed.

Urban Decay NAKED Palette!!!

2010-09-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, I caved. Yes, I had to make it mine. Yes, it's worth every penny!

What is there to say about this palette that hasn't already been said?? Urban Decay came out with their Naked palette this summer, and it was an instant hit amongst all make-up lovers, blogs, and youtube videos alike. Even though this is a permanent item, it sold out quickly...and is still apparently difficult to get a hold of? I know that when I first started to become interested in it a few weeks ago, I checked every Sephora within my area, and none of them had it in stock. The palettes are even sold out online! I just went to Sephora again yesterday, and yup, still out of stock.

Coincidentally, I happened to stop by my nearest Ulta for the first time a few weeks ago and came across an Urban Decay display. Lo and behold! THREE Naked palettes left! I grabbed one for myself, and notified my friends who have also been looking for it. Unfortunately, I must have gotten lucky that day because by the time one of them got there, they were all sold out--and still are. I checked the Ulta again yesterday, too. Lol.

I've been putting off this review for as long as I have because I didn't want to swatch the colors. Does anyone feel this way?? Whenever I have a pretty palette, I take the longest time to use it because I don't want to disturb its original state!

So for the past, oh, 3 weeks?...my Naked palette has been in its plastic package, only taken out occasionally for me to admire but not use. :P

And admire it I have. This is the most sophisticated-looking palette that Urban Decay has put out to date. It looks very sleek with its brown velvet-feeling cover and gold font. It just feels and looks very luxe and elegant!

The description on the back

The set comes with the actual eyeshadow palette and UD's cult favorite Eyeshadow Primer Potion on the side

Isn't the mini bottle absolutely adorable??

Typical Primer Potion wand

And now, the moment of truth....

...The inside!!!

Left side of the palette

Right side~

Now for the swatches! I hesitated a bit before I dipped my finger into the shadows, but now that I have, I can't wait to start using them!

I'm sure you've already read a lot about this palette on other blogs, so I'll keep it short and sweet. Like always, Urban Decay eyeshadows didn't fail me. The colors are rich, pigmented, blend well, and are extremely wearable. I really really love this palette, even though they're all neutrals, because it's something that I'll actually use. Usually their other palettes have bright colors that I wouldn't use, but I see myself utilizing every shade in this palette for both day and night time looks. The palette is both office-appropriate and, with a little more shadow packed on, good for a night on the town.

Look!

From left to right: Virgin (nude satin), Sin (champagne shimmer), Naked (buff matte), Sidecar (beige sparkle), Buck (brown matte), Half Baked (bronze).

Smog (golden brown shimmer), Darkhorse (bronze-plum shimmer), Toasted (taupe-bronze), Hustle (mocha shimmer), Creep (near-black metallic, Gunmetal (dark gray metallic).

The set also comes with a dual-sided 24/7 liner in Zero (black) and Whiskey (reddish-brown; this is a new shade). Urban Decay's liners are great (wide range of color choices, good opacity and staying power), so I was happy to have this included.

The shade that's in almost everyyyy Urban Decay palette. It's ok, but I prefer my Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes.

This is Whiskey. I have a 24/7 liner in Bourbon, which is a more cool-toned brown with sparkle. I think I like Bourbon more.

Swatches of Zero and Whiskey

Swatch arm :P

There's no denying it, this is quite possibly my favorite palette that I own. For once, the product is worthy of its hype. Good thing it's a permanent item! Urban Decay, you need to hurry up and ship out more of these babies. The people are waiting!

And while you're doing that, do you think you could ship out a couple hundred more Alice in Wonderland palettes too?? :)

Mixed Fruit Tart

2010-09-13T22:29:00.000-07:00

Speaking of berries...Here's a mixed fruit tart that I made a few weeks ago. Looking at the pictures now makes me hungry for a fat slice of it! This is quite possibly the most impressive thing that I have baked thus far, but it wasn't actually that difficult to make! I, of course, relied on smittenkitchen once again for the crust and the pastry cream, and this site for some more tart-making tips.

I mentioned in my last post how much I love autumn and winter, but the one thing I miss most about summer (besides nice weather) is the abundance of produce. All my favorite fruits and vegetables are at their prime during summer and spring. This tart has very simple elements, and the fruit is the star attraction, so make sure to use things that are in season for the best flavor. Unfortunately, berry season is almost over so I'll have to start making apple tarts...

This is the creme patissiere (pastry cream). This stuff is like crack. You don't even need to make the tart; just make this cream and dip with shortbread cookies, cut fruit, cake, your fingers...it's seriously that good!

And it has to be good. It required an actual vanilla bean and it's made from butter, milk, and eggs. How can that combination not be good?? Well, maybe if you're talking about your figure....but hey, we're not going to think about that right now!

The most difficult part of this tart was the shell, or pate sucree. But if you have a nice removable bottom tart pan (thanks bf!) and some patience, it should turn out just fine.

See those slashes in the crust?? I had to run some errands while it was baking and asked my mom to keep an eye on it. She slashed it with a knife when she thought it was puffing up too much...lol. This picture was taken while I was spreading apricot jam on the crust to prevent the cream and fruit from making it too soggy...nice tip!

Putting in the pastry cream...

Arranging the fruit...

Almost done...

Finished product!

Me, super happy with the results of my first fruit tart

My family was happy, too. It was gone in 5 minutes. Literally. I didn't even get a slice! I barely got to take a bite from my cousin's plate. But trust me, it was goooooooood :)

NARS Strawberry Fields

2010-09-13T22:05:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend! :) Monday's already winding down for me, thank goodness! It's always so hard for me to get back to the daily grind after a nice weekend. But that's life!

Today marks the beginning of my transition into fall fashion and make-up. Summer is quickly fading, and as the weather gets cooler, my lip color choices get darker. It's about this time of year when I start to dream of sleek pea coats, warm scarves, and knee-high boots. Though I still love summer, now that I'm older I realize I actually like fall and winter a teensy bit more. Blasphemy, I know! But really, I love to bundle up in different layers and experiment with red lipsticks more than stripping down to a bikini and trying not to blind people with my ghastly white legs in shorts. :P I am definitely more suited for colder weather, as I CANNOT stand temperatures above 80 degrees or humid climates. Plus, there's the holiday season, heartier foods to make (chili and beef stew anyone??), snowboarding to look forward to (yay!!!), I can go on and on...!

ANYWAY, seasonal tangents aside, today I have for you the first of my fall make-up acquisitions. NARS lip gloss in Strawberry Fields, which sounds like summer but is reminiscent of autumn's rich colors.

Described as a "bright strawberry pink" and packaged in the brand's signature black and white, this is supposedly a limited edition item that came out this summer. Now, I love NARS lip glosses, but I definitely don't buy them for their bold colors. Compared to many other brands, NARS' glosses are generally sheer. However, what they lack in pigmentation, they make up for in the formula and staying power. These babies are definitely in the higher end of the lip gloss spectrum, both in price ($24 each) and quality. They go on easily without drying out your lips. And as a plus, the tube itself is sophisticated-looking. ;) I always love seeing a NARS lip gloss when I look into my purse.

Strawberry Fields strays from the NARS norm because it is quite possibly the most pigmented lip gloss that I have in my collection. It's definitely the most pigmented gloss that NARS has come out with so far.

I think it's my favorite NARS! Its typical doe foot applicator makes it a cinch to apply, and you definitely don't need very much for your lips to stand out. This color is bold, but there's nothing garish about it. In fact, I would consider it a very grown up shade to wear. Definitely different from a red lipstick, but just as pretty. Also, I wouldn't consider this a "pink"; it's definitely more of a berry.

Swatch on my arm. Look how opaque the color is!

Even when the color fades away, there's still a faint stain that stays on your lips for the rest of the day. Or if you want the look of a stain without the shine, slick on a bit of this lip gloss and blot off most of the excess with a tissue. Instant stain without having to buy another product!

The color's so rich and vibrant. It's right up my alley :)

If you're looking for a gorgeous berry shade this fall, go get NARS Strawberry Fields! Even if you're skeptical of bright colors like this, you should still try it out. I think this shade would be nice on a variety of skin tones, and it's much easier to pull off than diving into bright lip colors with red.

I hope NARS keeps this in their permanent collection! It's too good to be just limited edition!

'Til later! <3

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense #36

2010-09-11T10:06:00.000-07:00

Today is all about the last of the three Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks that I picked up. Unlike her sisters #37 and #38, which I picked up as an afterthought (reviews and swatches here and here), I went into Sephora knowing for sure that I wanted #36 after reviewing the colors available online. I had been looking for the perfect, shimmer-free hot pink, and never found exactly what I was looking for until MUFE came out with this line.

Straight out of the tube, #36 already looked promising. It's bright, bold, and without a hint of sparkle. Yay!

Performance-wise, it's just as pigmented and long-lasting as I expected. I was and continue to be really impressed with this line of lipsticks.

This is a swatch of #36 next to a swatch of the go-to fuchsia that I had before: Lancome Color Fever in Rock Icon Fuchsia. While I still love my Lancome, it has a blue sheen to it that made it darker than I wanted in a hot pink lipstick. I never classified it as anything other than FUCHSIA. The MUFE is perfect in that it is pure hot pink on the lips!

Here's #36 on my lips. For some reason, its daring color brings out different sides in me. ;) I initially wanted a hot pink lipstick to wear for nights out instead of the typical nude or red. This is definitely a fun color that's great for night time when worn in its full glory, but at the same time, it looks beautiful during the day time when you pat it on sparingly like a stain.

This is a more blurry, unfocused swatch, but the lip color shown is actually more true-to-life than the swatch above. BRIGHT, right?

I told you this lipstick brings out different sides of me! :P I feel almost like a rock star with this color. Paired with a light steel/gunmetal smoky eye or a defined cat eye with black liquid liner, #36 would complete the look nicely.

Here's the nicer side of the lipstick. :D Unfortunately, my camera isn't good enough to pick up the true richness of the pink. In fact, it drastically washes out the color :/

This one makes me the happiest out of the 3 Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks I have! Though I no longer have endless summer nights to wear this, I'll gladly transition this bold shade into autumn. It's definitely atypical to wear a shade like this during autumn and winter. After I bought this though, it was mentioned in Allure's Daily Beauty Reporter as one of the Top 5 Fall Trends. So I guess I'm not the only one who thinks hot pink is appropriate for warming up colder days? ;) Who needs scarves and mittens when this smoking color is on your lips? Haha!

Have a great weekend everyone! If you get the chance, definitely go check out #36!

Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam

2010-09-10T02:23:00.000-07:00

My skincare regimen has always been limited to Cetaphil cleanser and, in recent years, Philosophy products, including such favorites like Purity Made Simple cleanser, The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash, and Hope in a Jar moisturizer. I've never tried the Shiseido skin care line before, but I really like their sunscreen, so I figured I would give the White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam a try since it was a deluxe sample for Beauty Insiders at Sephora one day.

I brought home the generously-sized sample with high hopes because it has pretty good ratings online. The description on the Sephora site says that it's "a gentle cleansing foam that whisks away impurities with a fresh, creamy lather." It supposedly "purifies the complexion and promotes a look of inner radiance, without stripping moisture" while a "dose of micro white powder helps remove dead surface cells to boost clarity and luminosity."

The cleanser comes out of the tube in a white cream form, but quickly foams up once you put it on a damp face with some water. The first time I used it in the morning, I noticed an immediate radiance to my skin. Right after cleansing, my face looked brighter than it usually does. I've been really big on brightening my skin lately (not the same as whitening!), so I was initially really happy and optimistic that I had found a good cleanser to incorporate into my routine. The Shiseido cleanser definitely felt different from my Cetaphil and Philosophy cleansers in that the other two are more milky and non-foaming. The Shiseido felt moisturizing as I was smoothing it over my skin, but once I started washing it off, there was an immediate and noticeable tightening feel--not in the good pore-tightening way, but in a drying out the skin way.

I gave the sample a one-week trial period, but by day 6 I could not stand it anymore. Though the possible brightening effects were tempting at first, ultimately this cleanser did not work for me. I figured out that it was because of the foam format. My skin did not take well to a foam cleanser. Foams are just too drying for my sensitive skin, and it was starting to show signs of breaking out due to the lack of moisture. And I haven't even mentioned the dry patches! Ugh.

I suppose there's a reason why I go for milky lotion-like cleansers like Cetaphil and Philosophy: they clean my skin well without stripping it of much-needed moisture. I switched back to my morning Cetaphil routine right away and within a few days, my skin calmed down again. I guess this teaches me to not stray too far from what already works, right? A prime example of "Don't fix it if it's not broken." The next time I decide to test out a new cleanser, I'm going to steer clear of foams :/

Those of you with more oily skin, though, would probably like this cleanser. I'm disappointed that it didn't work for me, but honestly, I think the effects and formula are quite good. If Shiseido came out with this exact product in a non-foaming form, I would probably like it. But for now, I'm going to have to count myself out for this one. Let's hope my next Shiseido experience is better!

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Do any of you have any Shiseido recommendations? Likes? Dislikes? Do tell! :)

Cinnamon Rolls

2010-09-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

Good morning dear readers!

I don't know about you, but I don't think that there's anything that smells better than cinnamon rolls baking in the oven. I mean, if Cinnabon's addicting smell already makes me walk a little slower every time I pass by it in the mall, then I couldn't imagine how good it would be if I tried making my own at home.

Let me tell you, I was not disappointed.

I made these on Monday when there was a holiday, and my bf and I lounged around playing Wii, eating lunch, and sipping iced coffee in between risings. It was the perfect day to make something like this, since I could take my time instead of rushing to finish them.

While the recipe itself is not too difficult, the hardest part for me was waiting for the dough to rise. Oh, the anticipation! After the first 2 hours of rising, I finally got to roll out the dough...

Spread on some softened butter...

Sprinkle on the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture...

Roll up the dough...

Cut it into 18 sections...

At this point, the boy was giddy with excitement at the prospect of having cinnamon rolls to eat. He could not stop exclaiming over how cool the swirls looked :)

No....it was still not time to bake...we had to wait another hour for the second rising! Le sigh!

After the second rising, we were finally able to put it into the oven.

Then we had to make the cream cheese glaze...which is pretty much cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract lol. Not exactly for anyone on a diet.

All that waiting was totally worth it in the end. The smell that wafted through the entire house was so intoxicating and comforting and delicious. There's no way anyone could resist them! The bf's family and I polished off one pan right then and there, with only sighs of happiness and sticky fingers as evidence of our pig out :)

Sweet, soft, warm, and satisfying. Perfect with a cup of coffee. And, dare I say it, better than Cinnabon! Is there any way I can get someone to make these for me every morning?? I want to wake up to the smell of cinnamon rolls. Even thinking about them now makes me wish that I had some left!

Perhaps once again this weekend? ;)

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense #38

2010-09-08T20:39:00.000-07:00

I did a review on these new Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks here, but last time I only showed swatches of #37. Today I have a closer look at my personal favorite out of the three that I got. This is #38, which is described as a "satin coral."

I have been obsessed with corals and peaches since the beginning of spring, and the obsession doesn't seem like it's going to end any time soon! I don't like the color orange because it tends to be too harsh, but corals and peaches are much more soft and pretty. Like the other two MUFE lipsticks, this one is extremely pigmented and wears well.

Swatch on my arm

Comparison with the other peachy lipsticks I have

I like #38 because it's the most wearable out of the three that I picked up. I've been reaching for it everyday since it's the most work appropriate. I think I've been trying to get the most out of my corals and brights before I have to transition to berries and reds for fall!

Love it!!!

For more of my thoughts on the Make Up For Ever Artist Intense lipstick line, read this review

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It's currently 8:30pm here in California and I'm having dinner by myself with a glass of white wine. Peace and quiet. Aaaahh it's finally time to unwind and watch some tv!

Hope everyone is having a good day/night! :)

Josie Maran Argan Oil Lip Treatment + Peach Shortbread

2010-09-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hello dear readers, how was your weekend? Yesterday was Labor Day here in America, so there was no school or work for most people. That meant a 3 day weekend! :) I didn't do anything this weekend besides hang out with my family and bf. A quiet, relaxing weekend...just what I like!

The past few days, I spent a lot of time cooking. Taking advantage of the extra day off, I tried to make food that I've been wanting to try out but haven't had the time to. Ever since I moved back home, I haven't felt quite free to cook the things I use to love making when I was living on my own. My mom is the one who cooks all the meals in my house, and it's hard to tell your mother that you would rather eat, say, your own pasta carbonara or roast chicken than her homecooked Vietnamese food. I really miss coming home from classes and just making whatever I feel like eating that day! I'm still adjusting to living with my parents again after living on my own for the past 4 years; hopefully I'll find some sort of balance between their lifestyle and mine soon!

Anyway, this weekend I was at the mall with my bf and as a little treat, he got me Josie Maran's Argan Lip Treatment ($20) from Sephora. I was browsing around and saw this cute little lip balm container. I already love Josie Maran's Argan Oil Moisturizing Stick, but it wasn't emollient enough for me to use on my lips. I figured that the lip treatment would be much better at keeping my lips slick and moisturized. It's supposed to be "a naturally age-defying, Argan-infused lip treatment balm that conditions, repairs, and protects dry, fragile lips."

The lip treatment comes in Josie Maran's signature rose-gold packaging.

Organic, paraban-free, cruelty-free, fragrance-free, and recyclable to boot! My sister, who is big on using organic, animal/environmentally-friendly products, approves of my love for Josie Maran :)

Close up of the product description and ingredients.

The first thing that caught my eye was the super cute packaging. I love the lid! It's different from a regular flat-topped lid.

The second thing that had me sold was THE SCENT. Ohhhmyyyygosh it smells SO GOOD. It's infused with this natural green apple flavor that is seriously the best green apple scent I've ever smelled. I almost wanted to eat it, haha.

Product-wise, I feel that it does an excellent job at keeping my lips smooth and soft without being sticky or greasy. I keep this on my nightstand, and it makes me feel a little giddy when I put it on before bedtime. Sounds a little crazy right?? The price is a little steep for what it is, but I believe that every woman deserves a little something something every once in a while that makes you feel happy and beautiful, whether it's a cute lip balm or a favorite perfume, lipstick, or nail polish. Wouldn't you say so? :)

Overall, two thumbs up for Josie Maran's Argan Oil Lip Treatment!

One of the things I made this past weekend was some peach brown butter shortbread (recipe here). Whenever I bake, my little cousins love to come over and help. This time, I enlisted them with the job of tiling the peaches. I've enjoyed eating fresh, in-season peaches all summer. I had 2 that were a bit past perfectly ripe for eating on their own, but just right for baking!

Finished product. What I loved most about this recipe was that the crust wasn't too sweet. This allowed for the flavor of the peaches, the true star of this dish, to really shine. And look at the beautiful red, yellow, and orange colors of the skin peeking through the crumble on top!

The brown butter also added a nutty undertone that made the bars a little different than regular shortbread. I ate mine at room temperature with a cup of green tea, but I imagine these would also be delicious served warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on the side... ;)

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense #37

2010-09-03T02:21:00.000-07:00

From one of my favorite make-up brands ever comes their newest Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks. The moment I saw the promo images and read the description, I knew they would be right up my alley. I lovelovelove bright lip colors, and with 50 new shades to choose from in matte/satin/pearl finishes (and a handy color wheel to help you choose your perfect shade based on skin and hair color--although you shouldn't take it as the final say), I knew I was bound to find something I would like. These are a Sephora exclusive, so I went there with the intention of just swatching them...but ended up walking out with 3. What can I say? They were just too nice to pass up!

While the nude shades looked ok, what really caught my eyes were the colors from #31 and on. These were the pinks, raspberries, corals, and reds that were the most attractive to me! There was even an orange, some dark purples, and, yes, a black. Coincidentally, the ones that I ended up liking the most were consecutive numbers--36, 37, and 38. I didn't really want anything with a matte or pearly finish, so these satin lipsticks were just right.

I don't recall MUFE having individual names for any of their make-up shades, so you have to go by numbers when you're shopping for their items. Starting from the left: #36 (satin fuchsia), #37 (satin bright pink), and #38 (satin coral). My pictures don't really do the shades justice, as they are actually very bright and pigmented (50% more pigment than traditional lipsticks) in real life. Therefore, these Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks are not for the shy of lips. They really mean it when they say that you can get immediately rich color in one swipe. I find that I don't need more than one swipe each for my top and bottom lips to achieve the full effect. Sometimes, I only use one swipe on my bottom lip and blend it with the top for a sheer wash of color that I would usually get after many layers from other lipsticks (Paul & Joe, I'm talking to you!).

The one I'm reviewing today is #37, which is the satin bright pink. This color stood out to me for its brightness. Though it's described as a bright pink, I think it leans more towards a more orange coral/red.

Here it is in the tube (I forgot to take a picture of it before I swatched it. Whoops!)

And a swatch on my arm. See what I mean? It looks more coral than pink to me.

For comparison's sake, I also swatched my YSL Rouge Volupte in Rose Paris and M.A.C. Viva Glam Cyndi. They are similar, but in real life the M.A.C. is a lot more muted and the YSL is much more orange.

Close up swatch of the lips

And what it looks like on me. By the way, this is what my hair looks like in the morning before it's been straightened! I took this picture as I was getting ready for work.

For $19, I feel that these lipsticks are a pretty good deal. They pack a lot of punch without requiring a lot of layers, so I can tell these will last me a while. They are cheaper than other high-end lipsticks but have way more colors and finishes for you to choose from. I wasn't particularly fond of the matte or pearly finish because they were a bit drying, but the satin finish was fine to me. Also, because these are so pigmented, you have to make sure your lips are moisturized and flake-free or else it won't go on as nicely. They are long-lasting: I usually get between 4-5 hours of wear out of them without reapplying. This particular shade is noticeable and eye-catching without having to wear a red lipstick; it also adds a fun pop of color to an otherwise neutral face.

At first, I kept hemming and hawing on whether I should get this shade. What finally convinced me to get this color? After I put it on my lips, I walked around Sephora to browse some more before I made a final decision. As I was walking around, 2 different people asked me what shade I was wearing and immediately headed to the MUFE display after I told them. The salesgirl who rang me up also asked what brand and shade I was wearing so that she could check it out during her break. Did I really need more convincing? Apparently not. Haha :)

Have you tried the Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks? Any thoughts and color suggestions?

(Reviews and swatches of #36 and #38 coming soon!)

Rene Furterer Naturia Dry Shampoo

2010-09-02T13:49:00.000-07:00

Hair looking a little lifeless? Second-day hair not smelling so great?

Bangs a little flat? Strands looking a little oily?

That's when dry shampoo will be your best friend. I try to keep my thin hair as healthy as possible by washing it only every other day, but sometimes it's hard to keep up with this routine because my strands just get so darn greasy-looking by the morning of the second day. Before I discovered dry shampoo, I used to just pull my hair into a ponytail and call it a day. After I saw the light (haha), dry shampoo has become an absolute essential in my everyday routine.

This one by Rene Furterer ($24) is my personal favorite. I've been using it for the past 2 years and I think I'm on my 4th or 5th can by now. Recently, I bought the smaller version to throw into my purse and use on the go. Once, I tried using Ojon's dry shampoo when the Rene Furterer was sold out (the Sephora I used to frequent in LA kept selling out of Rene every time they restocked), but the smell was so off-putting that I suffered without my beloved dry shampoo for a week and exchanged the Ojon when the Rene was back in stock.

Unlike the Ojon, which smelled strongly to me of old lady perfume and gave me a headache, Rene Furterer's dry shampoo smells fresh and awesome. Who wants to have hair that smells worse after dry shampoo than before?? Not me. Rene has basil, caraway, and peppermint to help "refresh and deep-cleanse" hair...rice, corn starch, clay, and silica powders to "absorb sebum and impurities"...and best of all?

"Colored iron oxides" to "add color to the powder for easy application." See the above? Let me tell you, for those of you with any hair color other than blonde or gray, this is a godsend. No more looking like you had a bag of flour dumped on your head. The flesh-colored dry shampoo is great for darker hair and absorbs quickly. leaving no residue behind.

Just lift up pieces of hair and spray towards the roots.

Don't forget the other side, too.

Look! Instant volume! Just wait 2 minutes, gently pat with a towel to get rid of the excess...

...and comb out your bangs. I like to flip my hair upside down and shake it a bit with my fingers. When I flip my head back again, my hair is voluminous and looks like it did the first day after I showered.

Fix a few strands here and there and you're good to go!

Rene Furterer's dry shampoo really does leave your hair "light, luminous, and perfectly healthy without the use of water." While it's great for use to avoid frequent shampooing, I also find that it's perfect for giving my bangs some lift after styling in the morning and an absolute lifesaver if I'm about to go out with my friends at night and need my hair to look as fresh as it did when I first left the house (I see no point in showering beforehand if I'm going to be outside anyway, so I usually shower after I get back). I have much more freedom with my hair; instead of having to resort to finding ways to mask the dirtiness, I can simply spray and be out the door with the same straight style I had if I wanted to.

The only gripe I have with this product is its price tag--$24 for 3.2 oz and $12 for 1.6 oz...but until I find something cheaper that works as well as this, I'm going to have to stick with Rene Furterer for my dry shampoo needs.

Do any of you love dry shampoo, too?

Any recommendations for a cheaper alternative?

Do tell! :)

Stila Custom Color Blush

2010-09-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

While I like Stila, the brand hasn't ever really come out with anything that got me excited. I have always seen their Kitten shade at the top of every list of make-up must-haves, but never got it because it didn't really appeal to me. I have a Smudge Pot which I thought was ok, but pushed it aside ever since I found my favorite Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash Liner (which, by the way, rocks). My feelings for Stila warmed up considerably a few weeks ago when I was in Sephora and I saw a hot pink flash out of the corner of my eye as I was passing the Stila display. I did a double take and took a look at this eye-popping blush.

Some people are drawn to colorful eyeshadows and collect them in every color of the rainbow. For me, it's all about the cheeks and lips. Normally, I limit eye make-up to eyeliner and mascara or a subtle smoky eye for nights out. My cheeks and lips are where I choose to pump up the drama. I've been looking for the perfect pink blush for a while, and though this wasn't exactly the cute, cotton candy pink that I was searching for, it still instantly grabbed my attention.

According to Sephora's description, Stila Custom Color Blush ($20) is "the first-ever pH-based powder that takes the guesswork out of picking the perfect shade." Its "one-shade-fits-all reacts to individual skin tone and pH to create a perfect, personalized shade. Ultra-blendable, with a velvety-soft finish, this clever powder smoothes the appearance of fine lines, leaving the skin with a natural glow and a luminous, flawless flush."

Hmmm, that's a tall order to claim...a one-shade-fits-all? I was skeptical, but I thought it would be nice on my skin anyway. However, after using it on myself, my sister, and a cousin (all with different skin tones that range from pale to extremely tan), I have to say that the description is correct. The shade looks gorgeous on each of us, and while I can't say much on its claims to smooth fine lines, it does impart a natural-looking flush that I am loving. On my pale skin, it takes on a light pink hue, on my sister's medium skin it turns more peachy, and on my cousin's tan skin it's a more vibrant pink.

In the pan it looks a little scary, but it's actually pretty wearable. You can do one swipe for a sheer flush or layer for pinker cheeks. Here's a swatch on my ring finger.

And this is a swatch on my arm. Mind you, that was a really heavy swatch. It's not actually that opaque on the cheeks. The blush is very blendable and the formulation really is velvety-soft with a luminous finish--not at all chalky. There's no glitter or shimmer, just a nice pink glow.

The packaging is cute too: sleek black with tiny stars on the lid and it comes with a mirror on the inside.

The back of the compact

Applies easily and is quite flattering

With flash. I love how the color shows up with flash, but doesn't require me to look like a clown in real life for it to do so.

And in natural light in front of my window. Not bad, right? Thumbs up to Stila for this blush! +10 points in my book. Maybe now I'll be more likely to browse their display the next time I'm in Sephora. These look pretty interesting...

Strawberry Chiffon Shortcake + A Welcome Back

2010-08-31T15:32:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! It's been a long time since I have posted any updates. A lot has happened since my last post, most important being that I finally finished my undergraduate education at UCLA back in June and moved back home to Northern California. So, I will still post some reviews of LA eateries, but they will not be as frequent or recent as the ones from Norcal (namely, San Francisco and the surrounding area).

Thanks to my dear friend J of Art School for revamping my blog and inspiring me to update again. :) Her design for me really reflects the vision I have for this site: a simple, clear cut, aesthetically-pleasing place for my dabbles in food and beauty. Isn't the banner adorable?

Now that I have more motivation to blog, I hope to post more regularly. For today, I want to show you the cake that had my family swooning this past summer. I discovered Deb's smittenkitchen blog at the beginning of this summer and since then, it's been my go-to place whenever I need a recipe. I've been obssessively reading her posts and making everything I like. Check it out! There are a lot of gorgeous pictures and helpful tips.

It's sometimes difficult to please my family since everyone has different tastes, likes, and dislikes. But this Strawberry Chiffon Shortcake was a hit with everyone for its lightness, freshness, and perfect sweetness. Plus, it beautifully incorporates some of my favorite things-- whipped cream and strawberries--with an airy batter that tastes rich without being heavy.

See? Whipped egg whites being carefully folded into the batter...

Layering cake, strawberries, and whipped cream...

Voila! Finished product :) A delicious, impressive, and crowd-pleasing cake for any occasion. I mean, who doesn't like strawberries and whipped cream??

Until next time.

-S

Josie Maran Argan Oil Moisturizing Stick

2009-12-04T17:17:00.000-08:00

I was very interested in trying something from Josie Maran, and her Argan Oil caught my eye. However, I decided to get the Moisturizing Stick instead of the actual liquid oil because I wanted it to be portable and easy to use. I was excited to get it in the mail after reading the good reviews on it. Isn't the rose-gold packaging of the stick pretty? I've been trying to not get any noticeable fingerprints on it

Comes up like a stick of lip balm

Goes on clear, absorbs quickly, easy to use. My only gripe with it is that it can smell a little funny...The citrus smell is nice at first but about ten minutes after it smells a little too strong. The smell fades though, so I'm not complaining too much

Description

Ingredients

I like this moisturizing stick a lot so far. There have been these random reallyyyyy dry patches on my left arm that were not being helped by the other moisturizers and creams I had. But one swipe of this stick and the next morning the patches were noticeably softer and smoother. I also use it on my cuticles, at the ends of my hair, and on some healing acne scars. It can also be used to treat itchy bug bites, moisturize chapped lips, soothe stretch marks, and calm sunburn. My skin likes this product. I like it too. Luxury with a conscience? Organic, natural, and multi-purpose? Recyclable tube? Effective? Yes and yay!

You can buy it at sephora.com in a small tube (for $6) or the normal size one ($22)

2009-12-03T14:55:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I.....

Made and carved a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner....

....along with fresh cranberry sauce, yams & toasted marshmallows, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and maple bacon biscuits. My sister made corn muffins and we also had ham and assorted veggies :) I use Alton Brown's recipe for roasted turkey every year and it always comes out juicy and flavorful

Went to grab some sushi with an old friend...my new love is salmon hand rolls!!

Some more yummy rolls

Was given the most deliciously CRUNCHY macaroon ever, along with a creamy dreamy egg tart

Watched "New Moon" with my sister

Made more maple bacon biscuits with my little cousin <3 onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2NQ8eDmvYKo/SxXcSW5PtTI/AAAAAAAAA2o/Zl3GrjoeKHU/s1600-h/Picture+492.jpg">So flaky and yummy! I got this recipe from this blog and have been making it nonstop. After I made it the first time for my roommates, they have been requesting over and over that I make it again. I made a batch for a Thanksgiving potluck, and one for the boy's family, and they've been a hit with all. This is worth a try!

How can anyone resist??? Slightly sweet and savory...and buttery and with BACON...yummm...they're best served fresh from the oven but my roomies microwaved leftovers and still devoured them

Helped my mom put up a live Christmas tree...I had to go back to school before she put up decorations, but the next time I'm home for the holidays I'll take a picture of the finished tree. I love live trees because they make the house smell so fresh and comforting...

On the drive back to LA, I encountered many things welcoming the holidays. There was the annual Starbucks red cup (love their seasonal drinks...Gingerbread Latte and Peppermint Mocha are always must-haves for me this time of year)

A customary stop at In-N-Out for a burger and fries...

....with a holiday wrapper :)

Stopped by Century City Mall to pick up some Godiva chocolates and saw a cool Christmas tree made from potted poinsettias

Mall decked out in gorgeous lights at night~

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My nails in these pictures are painted with China Glaze in Atlantic...love this polish! It's soooo sparkly in real life. I love glitter polishes!

Guerlain Meteorites in Perles Imperials

2009-11-25T22:02:00.000-08:00

Picked up this baby during the Sephora F&F Sale--Guerlain Limited Edition Meteorites Powder for the Face in Perles Imperials! This is part of the Winter 09 Collection. I first saw it at the Guerlain store in while I was in Las Vegas, but hesitated to buy it then and there. I love my Meteorites Powder in Mythic, so I was expecting a lot with Perles Imperials.

The packaging itself, as with all Guerlain products, is elegant and beautiful. I love the all-black design

Unfortunately, what I thought were rhinestones on top were actually just holographic indents made to look like rhinestones. NOOOO!!! :( Is it just my particular box??

At least the inside didn't disappoint. This particular powder has mauve, white, pink, and gold spheres in different sizes to help "instantly brighten and even skintone" for a "fresh, sublimely smooth complexion." It gives a "lit from within" glow and helps set your make up. I like using my Meteorites as a finishing touch after foundation, but I usually use it after moisturizer and concealer. Because I don't use foundation every day anymore, this is an essential step in my morning routine because it really does even out my skintone even when I only have concealer on my face! Perles Imperials is a little too sparkly for use during the daytime, so I save it for evenings. Mythic works better for me during the day. Still, this is a nice splurge :)

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Quick hair accessory of the day: giant purple flower headband from F21~

I bought this headband a while ago and finally got around to wearing it. It's a huge accessory, so I paired it with a simple purple cardigan and plaid scarf. Perfect for a chilly morning with a hot coffee!

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Thanksgiving is tomorrow, what are your plans??? I'm back home in Northern California for the weekend and cooking most of the food for my family tomorrow. I have a turkey being brined as I type, ready for tomorrow. I'm also making roasted garlic mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, roasted brussel sprouts/carrots/onions, and maple bacon biscuits. My sister is bringing corn muffins and I think we have a ham ready to bake. I can't wait to FEAST!! Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving! <3

Sephora by OPI in 212-Sephora

2009-11-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

I got 212-Sephora (on the left) during the Friends & Family Sale a few weeks ago. It's always been unavailable whenever I checked, so when I finally saw that it wasn't while I was going through my final shopping cart edit, I had to grab it! Here is the description from the Sephora website:

212-Sephora Nail Color

What it is: A chic nail color inspired by New York City's after-dark dazzle.

What it does:
Sephora by OPI 212-Sephora Nail Colour is a limited-edition must-have shade created in celebration of the new Sephora 5 Times Square flagship store. This glamorous variation on black channels the essence of the exclusively fabulous 212 area code. It is only available online and at 5 Times Square! Put the final touch on fingertips and toes with this top-quality formula that continues the OPI legacy of excellence.

What else you need to know:
Sephora by OPI combines the quality and color expertise of OPI, the world leader in professional nail color, with Sephora's reputation for the latest in beauty and sophistication. The long-lasting, chip-resistant polish ensures flawless results with each application, and its green ingredient list excludes DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde.

I happen to like the Sephora by OPI line; they have some really great colors and the formula and brush are easy to work with. I've been looking for an alternative to the plain black nail polish that I see on so many girls (and boys!) at school, and this fulfilled that AND my penchant for glitter :)

It's described as a smoky black with iridescent, gold, and copper glitter. I really like the base color and the copper flakes!

This picture is the closest depiction of what the color looks like in real life. The "smoky black" is a bit olive green, no? Click for a closer look! This is with 3 coats of color and topcoat

With flash. Too bad these pictures don't show the depth of sparkle of this polish. The copper flakes look like they're trapped under the color and the gold and iridescent round glitter add to the shine. Reminds me a bit of dark, sparkly marble counters, if you know what I mean. Overall, I likey! Not my favorite, but definitely a nice little item to collect if you're into polish like I am :)

Haul from Sephora F&F!

2009-11-19T11:31:00.000-08:00

I took advantage of the 20% off code and went a little crazy with the hauling :x BUT, in my defense, I ended up disliking a few of the items and returned some of them. More later about that. Up first: show and tell! :)

Face items: Philosophy Kiss Me Exfoliating Lip Scrub, Josie Marah Argan Oil Moisturizing Stick, Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF 45, Clarins Sun Wrinkle Control Eye Contour Care Ultra Protection (whew!!! what a long name)

More face stuff: Benefit Lemon Aid, Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer, Guerlain Meteorites in Perles Imperiales (Limited Edition from the Winter Collection!)

Givenchy Phenomen-eyes Effet Extension (which came with a sample size tube of lip gloss in Rose Taboo), Shiseido The Mascara Base, Lancome Hypnose Drama

Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Medium Ash, Sephora Brand Professional Platinum Lash and Eyebrow Comb #21, Sephora Brand Professional Bronzer Brush #44

Two nail polishes that I was super happy to get: Sephora by Opi in 212-Sephora (left) and Worth My Weight (right)

Reviews and swatches to come! :)

playing catch up 11/18/09

2009-11-15T21:33:00.000-08:00

I need to stop with these sporadic updates! Lots of things to post, but let's start with a very late Halloween entry ;)

This year I went as Snow White! The last time I dressed up for Halloween was...maybe 6th grade? I forgot that costumes could be so expensive! >:(

I opted for a big emphasis on the eyes, and did upper and lower false eyelashes. A touch of blush and some red lipstick, and I was good to go!

Mirror, mirror on the wall....haha

The finished product!

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I spent my Halloween at church for a party that was planned for the kids. It was a lot of fun!

Some cuties in their costumes. Notice the absolutely adorable Tigger!!!

We had apple bobbing for the kids. Baby Tigger only wanted to play with the water! Ignore the guy pretending to kick him haha. Btw my red lipstick is my Shu Uemura in RD 165. Loves!

We had a cupcake decorating booth, too. Among other things, of course.

The boy diligently decorating cupcakes for me :)

He made me Keroppi and Hello Kitty cupcakes!!!! :D

Baby Tigger with a tiger mask <3 onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2NQ8eDmvYKo/SwTBJA8wo-I/AAAAAAAAAxQ/7OrWW73Lk_I/s1600/Picture+329.jpg">Closer look of the cupcakes

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To me, one of the best things about this time of year is the abundance of all things PUMPKIN! I love the flavor of pumpkin!

The boy and I carved this Hello Kitty pumpking together. It turned out pretty nicely, no?

As you may be able to tell already, I love all things Hello Kitty

Pumpkin whoopie pie with cinnamon cream from The Corner Bakery. This was surprisingly tasty. I really liked the fragrant cinnamon cream

A trio of cupcakes from my favorite cupcake shop in LA, Susiecakes. Red velvet with cream cheese frosting, chocolate with vanilla cream, and PUMPKIN also with cream cheese frosting. The pumpkin cupcake was sooo good!

My faaaavorite pumpkin thing so far, though, is definitely this pumpkin cheesecake that I tried, also from Susiecakes. The cheesecake was super fluffy and perfectly sweet. The sour cream topping contrasted perfectly with the pumpkin flavor. I need to go back and get some more! I ate this one as slow as possible in order to savor it ;)

I'll end this post with a close up of my nails with Sephora by OPI in Queen of Everything. The Sephora site describes this as a "sterling gold" but I found that it was a pretty warm silver. I really liked this color. It gave my nails a really futuristic, mirror-like finish.

A picture of Queen of Everything from far away. There's Gracie resting on my shoulder!! She's so cute <3

Next up, a look at my haul from the Sephora Friends & Family Sale! :)

playing catch up 10/14/09

2009-10-14T00:35:00.000-07:00

Things I have been loving lately:

Rimmel 60 Second Vinyl Shine nail polish in 874 Zenith. I've had this baby for YEARS...I can't remember when I got it, but it's been hiding out in my neglected nail polish stash. I have so many new ones to try that sometimes I forget about old favorites...does that ever happen to you?? Anyway I'm glad I rediscovered it!

Two coats on my toes. I really like this purple polish; at some angles you can see a cool blue tinge.

It was ok, but then I decided to up the ante and add a layer of the holographic top coat that I have yet to try. Suddenly my toes were blinged out and dazzling! Too bad this bad photo doesn't do it justice...in the sunlight it sparkles wayyyyy more

Picked up this EOS lip balm sphere from Rite Aid last week. Isn't it adorable?? This one is Honeydew Honeysuckle flavor. Smells so good! It reminds me of those Korean melon bars...mmm.. :)

SIGH....too bad the quality of the cuteness doesn't extend to the product itself. The actual lip balm isn't very moisturizing, rubs off quickly, and isn't emollient enough to spread on the lips easily. So sad! I wanted this balm to work for me. Now, I'm mostly using it because I like it the way I would like a toy: fun to play with but not practical.

BUT I did get some Thrifty ice cream while at Rite Aid! Black Cherry flavor :) I love Rite Aid ice cream, it's so cheap but yummy at the same time! And the shape is kind of cool

One of my roomies brought back this box of chocolates from Switzerland. OMG they were the best truffles I have ever tasted! I wish American chocolate could taste like this :(

And look at this beautiful tin box! A nice departure from those paper See's Candies boxes, eh?

The same roomie also got these bags of colorful little pellets that turn into those tapioca-like spheres when soaked in water for 4 hours. They're supposed to be used for decoration, but I have been tempted so many times to eat them! Don't you wish boba could look these colors??

Random picture. Find Gracie! :)

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Something I have NOT been liking lately:

Sephora by OPI matte nail polish in Domestic Goddess. I bought this in hopes of getting a pretty purple matte. Instead, what I got was chalky ugliness. I was so disappointed! I took this one off first chance I got. It doesn't look too bad in this picture, but in real life, it was bad enough for the boy to ask me what I was wearing on my fingers. And he usually doesn't notice my nail color unless it's super pretty or super ugly. This time it was the latter. I'll be sticking to Zoya for matte polishes from now on. I realized that I don't like OPI's mattes. Just personal preference I guess

If you're looking for me....

2009-10-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

.....I'm with the girls on the dance floor~ (love that Far East Movement song!)

Random post: Before I went back to school my older girl cousins decided to take me out for a girls' night at the club...Now I am not a clubbing kind of girl in any way...since I turned 21 I've only been to the club 3 times, twice in Vegas and the third time is with my cousins. Before THAT, I went once, with some friends for a dance-off event. So when I go out, I usually depend on the other girls that I'm with to show me the ropes!

My cousin did my hair and make up and lent me this dress...I used my favorite studded bracelet

Of course we HAD to grub before heading off! This Thai place in San Jose was bombs, I forgot what it was called though. Good food, cheap prices, my type of place! Oh and boba of course :)

Bar area @ Pearl Nightclub

With my lovely cousins!

My cousin took this cool picture in our lounge area....the lights in the club were constantly changing color. This picture reminds me of The Hulk haha

Although I don't club much, I love to DANCE when given the chance!!!

They love me :)

I wish I could recreate the messy bedhead look that my cousin gave me that night....unfortunately I suck at doing hair :(

Zoya polish in Posh

2009-09-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

Recently got on the matte nails scene with Zoya polish in Posh and Dovima. I tried Posh first, because the swatches of it that I saw on other blogs made me really intrigued. Just like others have said, these matte polishes dry FAST. You have to work quickly and accurately. I tried to get enough polish on the brush to cover one entire nail before moving on to the next. By the time I was on my third finger, the first one had already dried. Still, I am LOVING this polish!! The color is soooo classy and the matte finish is definitely different from the shiny polishes I usually have on. I am liking matte so much that yesterday I got the Sephora by OPI matte polish in Domestic Goddess (purple). Still have to try that and Dovima! I was planning on taking off Posh after 2 days and trying on Dovima because of how other people were saying that the wear of the polish is weak, but surprisingly, after 5 days of wear, there are barely any chips on my nails. The only real difference is that the matte finish is a little less so, probably due to the natural oils in my hands, shampooing, and dishwashing. Otherwise, so far so good!

This is a picture from the first day of wearing it, with two coats, no base/top coat (not allowed when you're wearing matte polishes!!)

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On another note, my roommate got a puppy recently. She's so cute!!! Her name is Gracie and she's a Yorkshire terrier, I think. She's tiny but deceivingly energetic. Meet Gracie! :)

She's smiling!! :D

Playing with her favorite toy~

Happy Monday, everyone!

Brown Smokey Eyes

2009-09-24T01:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a look I did for a night out with my girls. I made my eyes the main focus and kept the rest of the face pretty bare, with a light gloss and some bronzer/highlighter. I'm not a very experimental person when it comes to my eyeshadow (instead, I venture outside of my comfort zone with lip and blush color); I tend to stick with browns and greys, but hopefully that will change the more I blog! For now, here's a little something something ;)

I started by moisturizing my face with Philosophy Hope in a Jar (my new favorite!), priming with Make Up For Ever HD Primer, and concealing small spots with Laura Mercier Undercover Pot number 2

Although I love this MUFE lavendar primer, I find that it works best with my skin in the winter, when I'm a little paler so my face matches the rest of my body. However, there's no denying that it does its job of brightening my skin!

Used my favorite powder foundation, Laura Mercier Mineral Powder SPF 15 in Real Sand, then set everything with Guerlain Meteorites in Mythic 01

Prime eyes with Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, then put on Paul and Joe Eye Gloss in 05 on the eyelid, just up to the crease, then blend well

I used Dior 2-Colour Eyeshadow in 565 Nude Look this time. It includes a matte reddish-brown and a beige golden shimmer

Put on eyeshadow just up to the crease, then blend blend blend, concentrating on the outer corners. Keep repeating and building up color until it's the shade that you desire

Tightline and line eyes with MUFE Aqua Eyes liner in 0L

Using black liquid liner, draw a slightly winged line, flicking it up gently at the end. Not going for a cat eye here, just very subtle slant

This is what it looked like for me. You could continue adding more of the matte brown shadow if you want to go darker. I also used the shimmery shade on the inner corner of my eye and also on the browbone

Time for falsies! I used Revlon Fantasy Lengths in 91002 Intensifying. Cut to fit your eye length, then follow the directions included in the box to put them on :)

I'm actually a newbie at the whole false lash thing, so it took me a while to get this part right :x

Curl lashes to make your real lashes blend in with the falsies, apply a layer of mascara (I used Diorshow Iconic Extreme Waterproof), then darkened my brows with Bare Escentuals brow powder in Brunette. I also lined my bottom lash line with brown pencil, used the brown shadow to smoke it out, and used the shimmery shade to line the inner bottom lash line and dabbed some on the inner corner of my eye (not pictured here)

Contoured with Dior bronzer in 001 Healthy Tan, highlighted with Mac Mineralized Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle, and made my lips shiny with NARS lipgloss in Orgasm

Ta-da! (again :P)

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Now, for the outfit!

Sequined top from H&M

Belt from....I don't remember where

Studded leather cuff and leggings from Forever 21 (LOVE that cuff!)

Heels from BCBG

Full outfit in front of my parents' (kinda dirty) mirror again. Mostly black with a pop of white and plenty of gold, haha

That's it! :)

NARS Lipstick in Fast Ride

2009-09-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

While I love summer and its fun, endless opportunities, my favorite season is actually winter. With the fall already here, winter is just around the corner. I love autumn and winter because of the prospect of a new school year and the holidays. I also love autumn and winter make up and fashion much more than the floral, less-is-more mentality of spring and summer. This time of year is all about the mixture of classiness/edginess with plenty of pea coats and motorcycle jackets, scarves and gloves, plaid and black rocker chic, to name a few . These things pair perfectly with darker, more dramatic looks, which I tend to be drawn to.

And so I present to you my first transition into this season, with a NARS lipstick in Fast Ride from their newest collection. This is described as a sheer mulberry, and sheer it is! Although it looks kinda scary in the tube, one swatch on my hand was enough to confirm that this is actually a very wearable, buildable color. I had to really layer it on to get the desired, dark lip look that I was going for. This lipstick is foolproof! One swipe will give you a pretty natural, stained lip sort of look, while a few more layers will make the color more prominent (but still not as dark as the tube would have you believe)

The close ups are not that great, since the smooth surface of the lipstick has been broken thanks to my constant swatching :x

Here are some pictures of me wearing it. Again, not the best quality since these were taken after a long day of work, at night, without natural lighting.

No flash

With flash. I like how it pairs up nicely with my nail polish! haha :) Very classy (although I plan to wear this with more edgy clothing)

If you're looking for a versatile lipstick for this season, NARS Fast Ride may be it!

before we say goodbye...

2009-09-21T03:30:00.000-07:00

As summer quickly fades into fall, each young member of my family slowly packs up their belongings and leaves for their respective colleges--me included. With most of them already a month into their fall semester, I am the last one in the bunch to leave for school in a few days (as I am on the quarter system). Before I say goodbye to my beloved Norcal and depart for my final year at UCLA, I met up with my cousins and our significant others for some quality time in Berkeley, where half of them go to school.

We decided to meet at Trattoria La Siciliana, a quaint Italian restaurant on College Ave in Berkeley. The reservation was for 16 people; my family is super big!!

I ordered the bucatini 'chi finucchiede', which is a Sicilian specialty that includes fresh sardines, pine nuts, currants, sweet onion, Sicilian anchovies, saffron, fennel, and toasted breadcrumbs in the sauce. It was VERY different from anything I've ever had before. Extremely herbaceous and pungeant, the flavors were striking but perhaps a little too out there for me to fully enjoy. I loved sampling everyone else's typical gnocchi, spaghetti and meatballs, rigatoni, and mushroom ravioli, though! And there was a particular seafood stew that was divine.

Me, my younger sister (far left), and some girl cousins. Coincidentally, we were all wearing dresses!

Standing outside Ici (pronounced ee-cee) to get ice cream for dessert

Inside Ici

Some baked goodies for sale

The names of the flavors (changed regularly) are hung up on the walls in rectangle frames. This time there were flavors like brandied cherry, malted chocolate chip, rose vanilla, bartlett pear sorbet, earl grey, and brown sugar gingersnap

Display case with some ice cream scoops and brownies

I ended up getting Earl Grey, a very creamy, delicious flavor with the essence of a cup of good tea. The not-too-sweet cone proved to be a perfect vehicle for the delicate taste of this particular ice cream. The surprise chocolate filling at the bottom of the cone was nice too :)

Holding my Earl Grey and the boy's brandied cherries ice cream

Enjoying

A bunch of us standing outside the sweet shop, savoring our frozen treat before we say goodbye...

I will miss all of my family and loved ones here in Norcal. However, I am extremely excited for school to start! I have a feeling that it's going to be a very busy, exciting year for me :) Wish me luck!

Sephora by OPI in Under My Trench Coat

2009-09-19T01:19:00.000-07:00

Described as a "light grey khaki with gold shimmer", Under My Trench Coat (one of Sephora's newest colors) satisfied this week's need for a more muted nail color. As always, this color looks so much better in real life. I like how it's so different from the bold, bright colors that I usually sport. Definitely a hit for fall!

I think this picture does the color the most justice...the other pictures make the color look too grey. This picture above captures the khaki

Click for a closer look at the shimmer!

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So it seems I have a bit of a nail obsession as of late....I can't stop eyeing and buying nail polish! I haven't even tried all the colors I currently have and still I continue to add to the collection. Meet my three newest acquisitions:

From left to right: Mod Hatter, Berry Berry Broadway, and Sahara Sapphire

I stopped by a random beauty salon a few days ago and noticed that they were doing a 50% off sale on a bunch of discontinued OPI and Orly colors. I ended up getting these three because they look like very winter-y colors, no?

Also gave in to those rave reviews for Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. For $9.99 it's definitely a very pricey top coat, but after I tried it last night on top of three coats of Under My Trench Coat, I could understand why people love it so much. It made my awkwardly painted right hand nails (sooo hard for me to paint with my left hand since I'm right-handed!) super smooth and perfect. AND it really did dry fast (though not as fast as my Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat) and make my nails look incredibly shiny. The formula is a bit thicker than traditional top coat polishes, but that didn't bother me at all. Definitely my new favorite!

Last, but not least, another top coat polish. This one is supposed to make whatever color polish is underneath look holographic. I was intrigued, so I swatched a bit on top of my Ocean Love Potion polish and it looked pretty cool! I can't wait to try this on top of a darker color though :)

Sephora by OPI in Ocean Love Potion

2009-09-11T11:39:00.000-07:00

Have a full day ahead of me, but before I go, a quick view of one of my new nail polishes :D

Sephora by OPI in Ocean Love Potion, described by Sephora as a "Mediterranean turquoise". I likey! It's a cool blue-green that's a nice pop of color but isn't too bright. Btw, this is after 5 days of wear, with a base coat, 2 coats of color, and a top coat...pretty good right?

With flash!

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A peek at some of the things I got at Sephora last week, except all the Benefit products, which were given to me. Will be reviewing them shortly!

Also, I've been meaning to try out some drugstore brand mascaras, and this waterproof Cover Girl Lash Blast was first. So far, it's ok, but definitely not up to par with my DiorShow Iconic Extreme Waterproof mascara. The brush's big size makes application a bit messy, and for some reason, I could NOT for the life of me remove it all at the end of the day. Even after waterproof eye makeup wipes and a thorough rinsing in the shower with Cetaphil face wash, there was still some gunk. I guess I have to applaud its staying power, but that's just too much trouble for me! Other than that, it gives pretty good volume and definition, but not as much length as my Dior

Going to the club tonight, so I'll try to make my first FOTD post! :D

2009-09-05T22:30:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to sweep my bangs over my eyes and somehow it ended up covering my whole face. I liked the results though; it looks a little edgier. I'm contemplating getting some bangs since I can't do much with the rest of my hair right now....I've had such conservative-looking hair for so long that I don't think I'll mind going a little shaggier and punk rock....thoughts?

Maybe some different colors in there? Hmm....

Accessories of the day: zipper necklace from F21, crucifix necklace is from my mom. Layered together and worn with silver hoops

2009-09-04T22:47:00.000-07:00

Spent the day in SF with one of my faaavorite shopping buddies. I've known this girl for 11 years, crazy! Since we went away for college, we only see each other during winter, spring, and summer break. And every time we get together, it's a guarantee that shopping (and gossiping + eating of course) will be involved. I think we spent 2 hours in Sephora just browsing around, lol! Anyway, here's just a quick pic of us trying on sunglasses in Juicy Couture. Be back tomorrow with pictures of my haul! :)

Hair Accessory of the Day 9/2/09

2009-09-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I have a penchant for headbands. I don't think I ever left the 2nd grade, because I've been wearing them from then until now. Before all the headband hype generated from Gossip Girl, I've been sporting and collecting this undeniably girly accessory. A lot of my headbands are collected from random places here and there, but a great many of them are from Forever 21. Yea, yea....overlooking the whole sweatshop controversy, you have to admit that F21 has some majorly chic, cool, cute, and awesome stuff. Headbands are one of them. Plus the prices don't break your bank so you can afford to have a wide variety!

Today's featured hair accessory is this cream, vintage-inspired piece. Love! I wore it with a simple white tank, jeans, and gold sandals, but I wish I had a pretty, lacy vintage dress to go with it

Close up, quote taken from F21 website: "This vintage inspired headband is covered with satin and trimmed with twill tape and chiffon ribbon. A jeweled stone sits up top surrounded with pearls and bugle beads"

Silly face just because. By the way, I've been trying to give my skin a rest by not using any foundation other than for special occasions. Moisturizer, SPF, and concealer are a nice reprieve, but I miss the even look I got from my mineral powder :( Excuse the blotches! BUT, I must admit my skin is liking the break

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On another note, I have a hair dilemma!

This is what my hair looked like when I last cut it, back in May (picture is just from a series of me and my cousins messing around with the camera after a wedding)....

.....and this is what it looks like now. I hate it! It looks so awkward...shorter in the back than the front! I'm still unsure of whether I should cut it again or not, but even if I don't, I'm still stuck with this weird length until it's long enough for a trim. Any suggestions on how I can cut it or at least style it so it'll look better???

More accessories next time! :)

summer skin

2009-09-02T02:04:00.000-07:00

School doesn't officially start for me until the end of September, so until then, I'll still be in summer mode. Here are some things that have made me smile recently :)

*My second excursion to The Golden State. They are still my pick for Best Burger in Los Angeles! This time was especially yummy with a cold Minted Lemonade (for me) and a dark, dark ale (for him) on the side

and a scoop of banana-Oreo ice cream for dessert!

*Driving down Sunset Blvd with my feet on the dashboard on the warm, beautiful evening before I went back home to Norcal...excuse the grody toe nails (grody= my sister's word for gross + dirty)

Just to take a stroll and people-watch in Hollywood

*This cute sight of my little cousin wearing my fedora. By the way, for those who asked, I got it at one of those random stalls at Third Street Promenade but I'm sure you can get it at a regular mall

*Essie polishes in Bermuda Shorts (fuschia) and Shorty Pants (yellow)....these are from last summer, but I still looove them for their bright, fun color. I also have Mini Shorts, which is orange

Too bad this picture of my feet doesn't do any justice for Bermuda Shorts. In real life it's way more vibrant!

*This pretty copper kettle holding utensils at my favorite American BBQ joint in the world, Everett & Jones. I love the whole vibe of the restaurant...they serve their drinks in jam jars and everything feels very homey

*Palm trees at the Jack London Square pier in Oakland

*Waterfronts

*My 3 year old cousin's Spongebob birthday cake

*Gardening Mama for my Nintendo DS (which goes with me everywhere like my camera and wallet :P). I feel kinda sheepish for admitting this, but I'm OBSESSED. As in playing-until-4-am-obsessed. Then turning it on again first thing when I wake up in the morning. I feel like a kid, sneaking in play time when everyone in the house is sleeping. AAAHH!!

Ok, it's 2am here in California, and I'm off to play 10 minutes of Gardening Mama before retiring for the night... :)

DSK Again!

2009-08-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are some pictures of the other DSK necklace that I own, the limited edition Holly Brio Collabo. I don't wear this particular one as much as the silver Titanic necklace, but I love it all the same. It comes out when the weather gets warmer, especially since gold is so perfect for hot summer days!

Again, I find that my necklaces work very well with both casual and more dressy outfits. Here, I am wearing it before heading out to meet a friend for coffee. My hair is still pretty short, but I managed to tuck most of it under my fedora and I thought that the strand that fell out looked kinda cool :)

My parents have separate, opposing closets with mirrored sliding doors. When I was little I used to wonder how the reflection did that...it looks like it's an endless tunnel of mirrors behind me! Then I realized the mirrors were just reflecting each other...still makes a nice background!

Then there's a more girly adaptation...perfect for a warm summer evening. With my Golden Shadow Checkerboard earrings, ready to go on a date <3

A little bit closer.....

A little more....

There's just something very delicate and pretty about this necklace. I feel like I have to touch it very gingerly in case it floats away :)

What my hair looks like when I don't straighten it! I have naturally wavy hair. Messy messy

It's not a loud statement kind of piece, but it captures the eye in a more demuring, come-closer-if-you-want-to-see-me sort of way ;)

And it makes me happy~

Enjoy what's left of summer, everyone!

My Current Obsession!

2009-08-28T00:29:00.000-07:00

I have found myself reaching for this necklace everyday lately! For some reason, it goes very well with my current outfit choices. I love the pop of color it gives! The boy always marvels over it when I wear it (that's when you know it's extra special--when it captures the attention of an average guy who doesn't really notice things like jewelry in a girl's outfit!), plus I get so many compliments from random strangers! They always ask where I got it :)

Where did I get it, you may ask? From Stephanie of DSK Jewelry!! She makes some pretty amazing pieces! What I like about her work is that it's not too complicated conceptually, but it stands out because of it's sparkly simplicity! She lets the individual, high quality pieces shine...a beautiful Swarovski stone here, gorgeous pearls there...I love it all! I recently acquired 2 beautiful necklaces and 3 pairs of earrings. I gave one of my best friends a pair of Swarovski AB plump lil stars earrings, and she liked them. I also have a pair of silver hearts, a pair of Golden Shadow checkerboards, and the Titanic Heart and the limited edition Holly collabo necklace. I haven't taken any good pictures of the Holly necklace yet, but the Titanic necklace is the one I've been rockin' most often! I looooove it...simple, stunning, and elegant~

See how amazing the color is??? I can't get over how alluringly blue it is! Sometimes I take it out just to look at it even when I'm not wearing it :P And this picture is taken from my simple point and shoot! It looks even better in person! It kinda changes colors...I keep ogling it!

Me, bored in the car while waiting for the bf, listening to my ipod, seeing how the bang pouf would look like with my short hair....and wearing the necklace! :D

Out to lunch...wearing the necklace!

Out to dinner.... wearing the necklace! See how it stands out so much??

And my Golden Shadow checkerboards! I've been wearing these a lot too...

...Especially with my Holly brio necklace! You can't see the earrings in this picture, but you can see the necklace. Wearing them together makes me bling from neck up haha. Sorry I don't have any better pictures right now!

My point is, you've got to check out DSK Jewelry! Steph is super friendly, professional, and talented. And she's funny too :D

I'm saving up for an AB crystal heart necklace and a bracelet next ;)

What A Weekend!

2009-08-04T23:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry, my posts have not been make up-related at all lately! It's summer, and I haven't had the motivation to wake up extra early to put on make up before classes. I'd rather get my extra half hour of sleep and just slap on some sunscreen before I head out. I realized how much time I save when I don't have to do make up in the morning! Of course, I still put on some for nights out and such, but for the most part my face has been bare. Maybe when fall comes around I'll feel like doing my make up daily again, especially since I have so many products I want to review! In the mean time, trust me, everyone should try the no make up thing for a week! It's sooo liberating, and your skin will thank you! My skin looks and feels so much better since I've gotten lazy (just with the cosmetics, not the rest of my skin care regimen! :P)

Anyway, I had such a great weekend that I wanted to share! :) I haven't had such a relaxing few days in a long time. It's amazing how good you can feel and how much fun you can have with simply a great group of people, nice weather, and yummy food~

I started off my weekend with a trip to Dave & Buster's with some friends on Friday night. For those of you who don't know, D&B's is like a grown up Chuck-e Cheese's! Games, tickets, prizes, and a bar haha. Fun place to just chill with your friends!

Boys playing some shooting game

Hanging out at the bar

I discovered this weekend that I really like cosmo's! :)

Pose, pose

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On Saturday the boy and I decided to go to this Caribbean place called Cha Cha Chicken for lunch. They have this delicious jerk chicken served with fried plantains and your choice of sides. Oh, and agua frescas, which are basically fruit waters, but much better than the name implies!

How cute, they give you your order number for your table on a plastic seashell. We got a mango-guava agua fresca and a cantaloupe agua fresca. They were like the most delicious fresh fruit juice ever....so cool and refreshing!

And the food....oh THE FOOD!! Moist, well-flavored chicken (your choice of 1/4, 1/2, or whole portions) and sweet plantains. I got the beans and rice and he got spicy fries

After lunch we decided to go to the beach, which was right down the street. I've been to the Santa Monica Pier and beach before, but never during the summer. It was packed since it was a weekend and such a nice day!

Palm trees in the breeze~ so California

I was super happy because there was a swing set ON THE BEACH!!! I ran over to it, hopped on, and had the boy push me high into the air. It was so exhilerating to be a kid again! :D

:P

Views of the Pier

Dipping my feet into the water

Lots of people taking advantage of summer

Felt wonderful to have the warm sunshine on my face....Life is good!

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On Sunday I decided to go to the Beverly Hills Farmers Market. I happen to love farmers markets and try to go as often as I can. It's fun to sample fruits, chat to the farmers, and buy fresh, organic produce. Some of my best memories of certain fruits and veggies are the result of going to the farmers market. I bought THE sweetest, juiciest cantaloupes this time around...along with an abundance of pluots (plum + apricot mix) and a loaf of artisan pumpkin bread and a fresh tamale :)

I really want to buy some potted herbs for my apartment balcony :)

The other reason why I wanted to go to this particular Sunday's farmers market was because there was a chili cook-off to celebrate the market's 15th anniversary! I've never been to a real cook-off before, so it was a chance to taste some yummy chili and explore!

I think this family had my favorite chili. It had turkey sausage and pineapple in it...so good!!

Cups from all our chili samples

I also watched a corn-husking contest! One of the ladies at the far end won, but I was rooting for Milton, the 92 year-old grandpa :)

I spent the rest of my Sunday afternoon happily munching on my farmers market purchases...my next summer school session is now under way, so back to classes + homework! At least I have my nice weekend to look back upon...

'Til next time!

2009-07-30T01:25:00.000-07:00

Bought a fedora from one of those street vendors at Third Street Promenade about a month ago....it's quickly become my staple summer hat! I love it because I can dress it up or down :)

Worn with a studded F21 dress while hitting the town at night in Las Vegas with my girls

Or with Ray Ban aviators during the day....this was also on the way to LV

Better picture of my day outfit worn before I changed to go out (just imagine it with the fedora and aviators haha)...tank and denim vest from F21, shorts from...unknown....sandals from Madden Girl...bag from Fossil

And finally, with a long gray tee and plain black leggings...here I am waiting to cross the street on Wilshire :)

But.....

Turns out the fedora is versatile with other people's styles too!

I think I especially love the casual fedora look on guys with nerdy glasses and summery plaid shorts....very Jason Mraz, wouldn't you say?

More tomorrow! :)

2009-07-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

Even though I'm bogged down with summer school, I'm still loving my first summer spent in LA. I miss past summers spent at home with family, but this year I felt that I had to experience this city during its prime season...and it's been great! There's something about Southern California sunshine, in all its warm golden glory, that brings about dual feelings of optimism and laziness. I love the fast pace of 10-week classes smashed into 6-week summer morning (!!!) courses... juxtaposed with the freedom and possibilities of the rest of the afternoon and evening~

It allows me to do things like a random cruise down Rodeo Drive...to do nothing more than to do some window-shopping and grab a late afternoon snack :)

In front of the Banana Republic, they have these gorgeous orchids. I love orchids! Especially pristine, elegant white ones

When window-shopping got boring, we decided to grab a drink and appetizers at Cheesecake Factory

His gigantic Fat Tire and my (pretty) potent Lemon Drop. Phew! The bartender didn't skimp :P

First up, fried artichoke hearts with a garlic aioli. I never realized artichokes could be so gooooood~

Then a wild mushroom crostini. I happen to adore mushrooms, so this dish was a winner. I wish the bread was more crunchy, though. It was soggy from an overdose of gravy

Finally, to top it off, the 30th anniversary cheesecake, which has chocolate fudge cake layered with the classic cheesecake and a chocolate ganache swirl on top. It was very rich, which is ok, but after a couple of bites, I had to put down my fork. I like the cocoa powder-stenciled "30th" they included on the plate :)

More strolling around afterwards

So happy because I LOVE SUMMER!!! :D

I'm not dead

2009-06-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

The reasons for my lack of updates:

First art project I've ever had to do in a college upper division English class

Making little $100 bills for my 9/11 theme
And re-skimming these books for the actual written final...this class was really interesting! 9/11 literature...I've never read anything from that genre before so it was eye-opening

Still checking other people's updates regardless of the lack of mine :P
After that, it was Shakespeare Shakespeare Shakespeare....
Then a lot of Philosophy of Science....
The boy left his stuff all over the floor while studying at my place
An ESSENTIAL for combatting those finals week break outs....lots and lots of water!!! I kept refilling my pink Brita filter every so often
The boy's idea of study food....Korean ramen and Ramune. This drink is the most carbonated soda I've ever had! Tastes like yummy bubblegum :)

Dinner has to be easy when times are hectic....throw some rice in the pot and packaged grilled eel from the Nijiya market into the oven...30 minutes later you have dinner, along with some mentaiko (marinated fish roe) and Korean seaweed on the side. Super delicious!

Has anyone ever tried this? I used it last year during finals week, and it kept me awake for the 3 days when I didn't get any sleep. This year I decided to be more nice to my body and only took a small sip whenever I was dying from sleep deprivation. Pretty lethal stuff
After finals weeks, I had graduations, birthdays, and a lot of recovering to do. More posts on those later!
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Oh! But I did get some new headbands from K-town a few weeks ago :)

A cute yellow bow~

Hello Kitty headband! I use this to pull back my bangs when I'm washing up in the morning and evening
Finally, a more flamboyant headband. I got this one to wear on my birthday :) Yes, I'm still very much a kid at heart. I wanted something reminiscent of my childhood birthday tiaras! Haha

Now that summer has officially started for me, I will post more often! Even though I'm taking three classes this summer, I'll do my best to keep this blog alive :)

Shu Uemura Haul

2009-05-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not know, Shu Uemura had a 20% off sale to celebrate their new website a few weeks ago. I've never bought anything from Shu, but I figured I might as well take advantage of the sale to grab a few things! I've never seen a Shu counter at Sephora, but I've been reading a lot about their highly-raved about lipstick from the Red Collection in RD 165--supposedly the perfect red for all skin tones. That, and the Pink Collection were things that caught my eye when I looked through the site. I decided on two RD 165's (one for me, and one for a dear friend who's also been on the search for a perfect red) and a lippie and lipgloss from the new Pink Collection~

I also got a sample of the Phyto Black Lift Lifting Anti-Wrinkle Essence for signing up on their website

I must admit that part of the reason why I'm so enamored with Shu Uemura is because of the cool packaging of their lipsticks haha. It just looks so modern and unique! I like how it's see-through :)

This is a close-up of the RD 165. I've tried it on my lips and it's a nice bright red, super classy-looking! I'll take more pictures of my lips later to show~

Here's one of the Pink Collection's lippies....I got it in PK 316 which is a warm rosy pink

Close-up~

And a lipgloss also from the Pink Collection in PK 315N, a sheer melon pink

The applicator is stick-straight, how different!

Swatches from left to right: red lippie, pink lippie, and gloss

So far I'm loving my Shu products. I really want to get more! The lipsticks are nicely pigmented and moisturizing. The gloss is not too sticky and the pink color is so cute and pretty. Here I am wearing some lip balm with the pink lipstick on top

I like it! A more natural, wearable pink than my YSL Rouge Volupte Fetish Pink lippie. I don't have to have a mirror to check to see if I'm applying it evenly because it's not as matte or pigmented as the YSL. I've been reaching for it a lot over the past couple of days!

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Random photos:

My view from the plane as I was leaving Norcal to go back to LA last weekend....cool view of SF!! There's the Bay Bridge and the City!

After the boy picked me up from the airport, we got some lunch and stopped by my favorite dessert cafe Haus for some sweets. Yum yummm Cheesecake From Heaven is always a must :D

And a delicious patbingsoo~ Korean ice shavings dessert with condensed milk, sweet red beans, fruits, and--that white stuff on top?--yummy chewy ddeok (rice cakes)

This weekend, I had some mad cravings for Mexican food. So for lunch on Saturday I went to my favorite Mexican place and had steak and carnitas tacos.....soooo good

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My NYX haul came in last week, so I'll be doing a post on that too. Happy Tuesday!

Role Models

2009-05-16T23:24:00.000-07:00

Although I am guilty of being one of the people who glance through the gossip magazines while standing in line at the market, I am not a crazed fan of any celebrity that I can think of, nor do I agree with the things that some of them are doing nowadays. However, there are a few exceptional women in pop culture that I look up to and like to know about. These are ladies whose style, work, and public persona are admirable to me.

One of them is Giada de Laurentiis, petite powerhouse Food Network Chef who is probably the object of what is closest to being considered my celebrity crush :)

I lovelovelove her shows. I've been watching them since the early days of "Everyday Italian", when her hair was still dark brown and the videography was still average. After school in high school, I used to try to make it home on time to catch an episode before doing homework haha. I would definitely attribute part of my love for food and cooking to Giada's show. She began to make other ones, like "Behind the Bash", "Giada's Weekend Getaways", "Giada in Paradise", and my most recent favorite "Giada At Home". Throughout the years, even as her hair lightened and the videography got even more stunning and artistic, I could always count on her show and recipes to help me create some pretty memorable meals. She is definitely what I consider a good role model. Plus, she also went to UCLA as an undergrad! That's why a few weeks ago when I found out that she was going to be at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (also held at UCLA!) to promote her new cookbook, I just had to go meet her! :)

This is the view from where I was standing in line to wait for her to come autograph cookbooks. If you look very closely, you'll see the sign that says Cooking Stage. That's where Giada was giving her talk!!!

While in line I got hungry so I got a grilled corn on the cob slathered with cheese and spices. SO GOOD.

After what seemed like HOURS, I finally got to meet Giada! She was even more pretty in person that I thought she would be. Super sweet, happy, and welcoming. The only reason why I didn't get an actual picture with her is because the security guards were rushing people along since there were so many fans there to meet her :(

I felt so nervous approaching her...but she was really friendly! I think I stammered something like "Hi, nice to meet you, I LOVE your stuff! You're an inspiration." Hahaha :D

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Another celebrity that I like is Gwyneth Paltrow. Actress, mother, wife, role model!!! She's beautiful, classy, talented, down to earth, and married to Chris Martin. Lead. Singer. Of. COLDPLAY!! One of my favorite bands :) Did you know that the he wrote the song "Fix You" for her after her father died? Isn't that sweet??

Another cool thing about her....she BLOGS!!! In fact, I just ran across a beauty post from her site today from the Allure website. I started browsing through it, and realized it was more of a lifestyle blog, full of fashion, food, shopping, crafts, travel, and personal tips. Great stuff from an intelligent, strong woman! Her site is definitely on my blog roll now!

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Before I end this post, here's something really freaky cool for all of you to check out :) Just click on the link, put on some headphones, close your eyes, and enjoy! I had so much fun with this link :)

Wedding Weekend

2009-05-15T19:39:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I flew back home to Norcal for a family friend's wedding. I've come back probably at least once a year for the past 3 years for someone's wedding....seems like all my older cousins/family friends are tying the knot as of late! Anyway, this particular wedding was held in the new Cathedral of Christ the Light. The cathedral is amazinggg...stunning architecture and beautiful religious artwork make this building stand out from any other wedding setting I've ever been to.

Here I am on the way to the church:

Look at this! When you step into the main part of the cathedral, the first thing to capture your attention is the massive hologram-like picture of Christ in the very front of the church. It LOOKS like a hologram, but it's actually thousands of tiny holes put together to form the picture. When sunlight shines through, it becomes this cool view:

The entire ceiling looks like this, so plenty of light shone through:

After the vows and such, my cousins, siblings, and I hung around to explore the church and take some cool pictures :)

There's my little cousin Christine in the middle of all the boys, looking like a boss!!

My mom took these cool pictures of me and my sister...pretty impressive!

After the photography session, we were all starving, so all the cousins piled into a car and drove to In N Out for some grubbbb

Staring contest with Christine!

After that I went home and got ready to go to the reception...here I am on the car on the way to the restaurant....

Where I ate the only good reception dish of the night....honey walnut prawns...

Got silly with my brother....

Posed with my gorgeous cousins and sister....

And watched the bride and groom cut the cake and pop the champagne!!!

Afterwards we danced the night away and the next morning I celebrated Mother's Day with my mom before I flew back to LA. Love was in the air all weekend :)

Til later!

Sephora Haul

2009-05-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

Sephora had a Friends & Family 20% off sale a few weeks ago, so I decided to take advantage of it and buy some of the things that I've been eyeing :)

Dior Bronze Original Tan in 01 Healthy Tan~ I've been looking for a good bronzer for summer; decided on the Dior. So far so good!

With the plastic cover still on

Perfect and natural for my skin tone :)

The beautiful Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Gilded Garden....I already have plenty of pink blushes, but I couldn't resist this one!!! I open the compact sometimes just to stare at the prettiness hahah. BUT it is also very pretty on the cheeks...gives just the perfect amount of glow!

Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect in 577 Fuchsia Poplin~ vibrant berry pink gloss perfect for spring and summer!

And Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick SPF 15 in 8 Fetish Pink~ I got this one because I wanted a baby pink lipstick...I was envisioning healthy tan skin (from a bronzer, not the sun--BAD!) with a pretty pink lip. This lipstick goes on soooo nicely...it's smooth and VERY pigmented so a little goes a long way!

Swatches of everything....the top 4 colors are from the Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc, the 2 middle colors are of the YSL lipstick (left) and Dior gloss (right), and finally the Dior bronzer swatch is at the veryyyy bottom (almost not noticeable!)

Wearing the YSL Rouge Volupte lipstick...see how pink it is??? I was wearing no other eye make up besides mascara in this picture, but I love how the pink lip is so prominent. I just lightly dabbed the color on my lips until it reached the shade I wanted
Close up...to take some of the matte off the lips, I brushed on just a little bit of the Dior Fuchsia Poplin gloss...just a bit on the bottom lip and then blended against my upper lip for a little shine...what do you think? Cute color, right? :)

****
Went home to Norcal this weekend for Mother's Day and to attend a wedding...remember the vases that the boy and I painted at Color Me Mine? Here are the finished products before they were given to our moms

On Sunday before I flew back to LA, I woke up early and went out to buy 3 bouquets of tulips for my mommy...put them in the vase, and surprised her when she woke up. I'm so mad I forgot to take a picture of the vase with the flowers! >:(

Anyway, Happy Thursday! I'll create a post about the wedding I attended later~

Paul & Joe UV Primer + Protective Fluid Foundation

2009-05-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

I know I raved about my L'egere White Multi BB Cream, but now it's time to talk about another favorite of mine: Paul & Joe's Protective Fluid Foundation! Recommended by, of course, the lovely Fuz, P&J PFF has been my go-to base make up in the morning for the past 2-3 weeks. I bought mine about a month to two months ago, but the first time I tried it, I didn't really like it. I thought that it wasn't moisturizing enough, but then I realized it wasn't because of the foundation, but because my skin was too dry! So I stopped my acne spot treatment and upped the usage of moisturizer day and night and a mist in between. This, along with my newfound discovery of the wonders of the Beauty Blender sponge (my thoughts on this will have to be for another post) have made me come willingly and happily back to my Paul & Joe :)

Before I put on the foundation, I cleanse, tone, moisturize, protect, and prime. I like priming with either Make Up For Ever HD Primer in Mauve or Paul & Joe Protective Foundation Primer UV. I like it when my make up products have some UV in it. I use sunscreen, but it's nice when my primer and base make up have some protection too! For this I used the P&J:

It comes out of the tube like this~
...and blends in like this~ No trace of it whatsoever! Just nice smooth skin

Now for the foundation...

My shade is 10. The Protective Fluid Foundation has an SPF of 25 PA++...nice!

This is pretty much all I need for my whole face. It's really liquidy but blends beautifully, so not much is needed. I just cover any leftover spots and dark circles with my concealer
Lightly blended

Fully blended
I think this was after I primed with the P&J UV Primer. It helped even out my skin tone a little bit~

After foundation and a little bit of concealer...I love how it feels and how natural it looks! Its coverage isn't as good as the L'egere, but I like how it feels so lightweight.
And it stands up well throughout the course of the day; this was after I walked half an hour to class and back....I even wore it over the weekend while playing an intense (and sweaty :x) tournament for Ultimate Frisbee...5 hours later and I still looked fresh!

I also used my P&J a few days ago when I was testing out my pink lipstick from my Sephora haul...so glowy!
Up close (such an Asian pose haha)...still flawless! Can't say enough good things about this foundation! I'll definitely be buying again once I run out~
(and pretty pink lips...more later!)

Happy Wednesday everyone! :)

Shu Uemura Brush Set Giveaway!

2009-05-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

To celebrate their new website, Shu Uemura is taking 20% off your entire order with the code "NEWSITEBLOG"!!! I placed an order on Shu's site a few days ago for a lippie from the Red Collection and a lippie and gloss from the new Pink Collection. They should be coming any day now!

In the meantime, check out this really cool giveaway from beautyforaliving. To celebrate HER new site, she's generously giving away a gorgeous Shu brush set!

Prettyyyy!!! Check it out now