My Youth Diary

Move to Wordpress

2013-04-03T21:32:00.000-04:00

I'm thinking of moving to Wordpress...

...actually, I already moved everything there!

( my blog at wordpress )

It's so much more organized, and I can be bothered to customize the theme over and over again every time I change my mood, which can be both good and bad. But I do like the organized interface better.
Now I have the dilemma of deciding what to do with this blog. I really should stop moving so much. =___=. I don't want to just delete it either... maybe I'll keep this mainly for reviews? Not sure yet, but I did waste my many hours last night and today moving everything. I guess I'll just leave everything be for now.

New phone

2013-03-09T03:55:00.000-05:00

[ The backstory ]
About three days ago my refurbished HTC Panache went into a deep coma (it hasn't woken up since). So I visited the Mobilicity booth at the mall, only to told that my warranty had expired six months ago. I didn't even know that the warranty for refurbished phones was only six months. Imagine my disappointment. To my ire, I then got redirected to Pmall by the guy working at the booth. He suggested getting it checked out there.
So yesterday I went to Pmall before my 4pm class... left my phone for a check up, looked around for new phone prices, and then went on ahead to class. I was feeling quite productive (since I woke up early and actually was sticking to plans...) until I returned to Pmall at 7:30pm, only to be told that NOPE! my phone was unfixable. *flip table* To top that off, commuting back from Pmall was terrible. Not only did it start to snow, but I was also wearing my lighter boots in expectation of light rain so I was cold. And then (!) I kept making the wrong choices of getting off busses to take other routes. The busses ended up taking longer, making the route-change decision a fail every time. *huff* anyway...

[ Today ]
I went out to get myself a Samsung Galaxy Nexus - the same one my sister got during the Boxing Day sales. I ended up buying it for about $373 (including tax). My wallet = hurt. During the commute back I fiddled with the phone, slowly customizing it... which slowly numbed the wound by charming me with its cool features and outlook, lol. By the time I reached home, my brain had already filed away the fact that I spent almost $400 on a phone. Now $400 for a good phone is not a bad deal. But spending $400 on ANYTHING, especially now at a time when I am saving to go to Korea, is BAD (for me). I could have spent $400 on a good jacket two years ago and felt great about enjoying it, but right now... I'm just *grimace*.

Anyway, I like the phone... definitely a step up from my previous phones! And also, I am finally out of my HTC phone-streak! Third time's the charm? lol. I can also finally try Anipang, which I'd been wanting to try ever since that Shinhwa Broadcast episode featured it and from that time I saw a classmate playing it in school D: except... I tried it now, and I'm really bad at it. LOL. I guess that fever's over!

Perhaps I'll go get a cover for it tomorrow... it will need the protection (what ever little it may be)... especially in the hands of clumsy ol' me! Maybe I'll get it screen protected too. >< Phone #2 even had a dent in the screen, and that too within 11 months of use! >_<.

Please survive for at least three years, new phone. kthanks.

Beauty Hangout with C~

2013-02-27T03:48:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday I went over to my friend Charlene's house. It was Reading Week (although I did no reading...) and we had decided that I would come over to her place, we'd make ourselves up, and then head to Pmall to get her dress fitted (for a ball). The plan also included me coming back to her place after our Pmall trip, and us having a beauty chilling session.

So I brought a bagful of my beauty products - skincare, makeup, hair curling wand, sister's dslr camera, etc. and we had ourselves a makeup session!

Here's my friend of nine years, Charlene! :)

She's actually wearing Missha bb cream, my Everyday Minerals powder, a little blush, and her Revlon lip butter! More than one item! Omg! xP

I lent my Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream (#21) to Charlene since her skin type is similar to mine. She also let me play doll and curl her hair and put some blush on her, lol. (She doesn't usually wear anything more than foundation, so it's a little bit of a big deal)

And here's me! :)

We're actually both wearing the same bb cream and powder, yet I'm so much more yellow, LOL.

Usually I'm the one with the curled hair but that day I didn't feel like it. My hair was so flat and my bangs were messed up T_T. I suppose this would be a good moment to document my current hair length. It's at this length now, which I consider short, sigh. Wish it'd grow faster. But anyway,

Charlene helped me with taking pictures of my products that day. Sigh. I'm so lazy about it, but knowing that her place has better lighting I figured I might as well take advantage of the opportunity. I brought over my sister's huge camera and everything, but -- batteries ran out. =______=;;; So, I ended up borrowing HER sister's camera, which was nice of her :)

Charlene took this picture for her instagram while I was taking my pictures, lol

Finally after two hours of me stalling and doing her cousin's eyebrows and what not, we left for the Pmall errand. But not before taking selcas! :P We really don't have enough pictures together.

After we got back and ate, of course the first thing we did was take off our makeup! Taking off makeup and having a clean face is always such a spirit refresher when you get back home. That day I'd brought over a lot of my recently bought skincare products and was feeling excited about it, so I somewhat coerced Charlene into trying them too, haha.

And after that, we finally used the free Rice sheet masks we'd got from the Face Shop the weekend earlier. She bought her Mango lotion from there that day so she got the same one too!

The Face Shop masks don't fit our face well, ROAR! D8<

Did I mention Charlene has a lava lamp? Who has lava lamps nowadays?! Hardly anyone! *__* I wanted one last semester when my eyes would zone out too much *__*. Wanted something animated in the background. Reggie solved that problem by gifting me a betta fish though, haha. The lava lamp was given to her by her cousin apparently. I made her turn it on for me before we left for Pmall. She hadn't turned it on in years, so it was taking extra long warming up. By the time we came back it was fit and blob-y though! So cool :P

Off

That was pretty much what we did that day. Not a lot, but it was an easy-going chill time. The times we hang out it seems like the time passes really fast, and we hardly end up doing much, lmao. We're not very exciting people, haha! but that's okay. ;P

Review: Etude House - Collagen Moistfull Essence-in Primer

2013-02-24T19:56:00.000-05:00

Etude House Collagen Moistfull Essence-In Primer

I ordered this primer from Sasa online, back in December. It was cheaper than eBay by a couple dollars. I think this essence-in primer has been out for quite a while now, since I've seen this Etude House packaging here and there. I bought this because earlier in the winter months I was having really dry skin, and my makeup would almost always just dry up and become flaky. After using this though, my powder foundation stayed on longer (and looked better too!), and also, my skin was more hydrated during the day.

This primer essence is a dual product, so it hydrates like an essence would, and helps makeup stay on like a primer would. Kind of great for people with dry skin, I'd say.

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Review: The FACE Shop - Brightening Cleansing Oil

2013-02-24T17:14:00.003-05:00

Brightening Cleansing Oil (with Prune)

- - from the OIL SPECIALIST series

I got this cleansing oil a week ago at The FACE Shop store in Pacific Mall (Pmall). I wasn't intending on buying anything there when I went with my friends, but I suppose I got sucked into the appeal of a whitening, brightening cleansing oil. I was looking for a whitening product of some sort, since I recently decided to try whitening my face again (to even out the skin tone). But I was also kind of eyeing cleansing oils ever since I saw the Korean beauty show with Eugene of S.E.S. where they were featuring skincare for dry skin.

Review: The FACE Shop - Chia Seed Collection

2013-02-24T03:12:00.000-05:00

Chia Seed Water 100 Series

Recently my friend, Charlene, found this new Chia Seed collection in a beauty boutique in northern K-town. She first bought the Chia Seed Toner, and then also decided to try out the Eye essence. Then a few weeks later we found that The Face Shop had a store in Pacific Mall as well. Since I was running low on moisturizer, I decided to indulge in the Watery Lotion myself.

Here I will slightly review three products from this line.

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Hair & Bangs

2013-02-21T00:58:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I last posted on this blog. What happened? Laziness struck again! That, and with the shifting homes and with school in session and all... yeah. Anyhow, lots of things have happened between now and last summer. But at the same time, not a lot of things have happened that I could excitingly speak about.

Currently I'm just plain bored with my look - face, hair, and all. But that is also partially due to the fact that I cut my hair shorter. Short hair always makes me feel less. I miss having somewhat medium-long hair. The hair length is one thing, but the other problem is my bangs!! I just had to go and get my bangs cut short again! I swear -- every time for the past, like what, three times I've gotten my bangs cut - they've been too short!! And then I end up putting it up for most of the time, and it grows out weird again! Annoyance, really.

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Doc Martens!

2012-08-22T19:04:00.003-04:00

I got these uber awesome pair of Dr Martens boots from the online store about two weeks ago. It was sort of an impulse, but then not really. It cost me $180 after tax *___*, which, I know, sounds crazy because:

I have no job.
I have no "proper" money.*
I have no job.

* (I use osap money for everything. u_u. I know. Shame.)

Read more »

A Trip Downtown & Kensington Market

2012-07-28T12:36:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I went to meet my friend Reggie, and we decided to go to Kensington Market downtown after having mentioned it a few times in the past. We started off by visiting Cafe Crepe for lunch which was at Queens Street also. I got a Strawberry w/Sugar simple crepe, which cost me like $6-7, I think. And Reggie got a simple Caramel crepe (which she devoured in like 5 minutes while we walked towards the intersection, lol). Mine was quite packed with strawberries. I didn't finish mine since I was impatient to go into the stores on the road, but I had enough to satisfy my crepe craving for the day, haha.

Then we went into the shoe stores along the road (Get Outside, Doc Martens, etc.) -- and I tried on a burgundy pair of Dr Martens, which I absolutely liked on me - but then I didn't like the price and feel of the hard leather. But then I found a pair I liked which were made of softer leather and were less clown-looking called the Nappa style (I think it's 1640s?) in size 7. I thought I was a size 8, because usually I am, but apparently DocMarts run a size smaller since they are expected to stretch. So yeah, that was one of the highlights of my shopping parts of the day. I found a pair of military-styled boots that I liked, and I think I will invest in them soon after this busy weekend is over.

So then we walked to Kensington. It was my first time going there. I thought I would have liked the vintage-looking old-style atmosphere but I found that it was more similar to the feeling of India's markets than the Southern... rodeo-kind of image I was thinking of. We got off at Queens Street West & Spadina, and then walked north-east past Chinatown, into Kensington Street. At first everything was very rustic-looking, with lots of older styled clothing boutiques. We even went into a store owned by (I think) Nepali people who were selling ethnic clothes. It was all incense and fabric inside, intense.

It was hot. So of course seeing an ice cream store meant that you had to get one. Lol. (Or maybe walking in meant that we did).

We had been walking for a while so I was literally melting in my skin. Pretty sure Reggie was too. So we decided to go for some ice cream at "Mr Icecream", which was alright. It was $3 for a small cup, which was really small when I first looked at it but then it turned out to be quite enough, actually.

I got Ferrero Rocher flavor, and Reggie got Raspberry. :3

We saw this cool graffiti-planted car on the street after crossing Mr Icecream. The insides of the car was filled with soil and plants. o_o. As was the trunk... and the front area...

Then we visited a big store which had a LOT of miscellaneous items, ranging from cups and candy to clothing and toys. I think we spent a good half an hour there, lol. (The AC definitely helped keep us in!)

After that we went to Pizzeria Libretto on Queens & Ossington.
Reggie'd had her 19th birthday lunch here two years ago and we left with a good memory. So we came back :) This time we ordered one featured vegetarian pizza and a White anchovy something pizza. The bread was really nice and light, and the ingedients weren't overwhelming or anything.
In total we split $39 and were completely bloated.


Left side: Feature pizza of the day - zucchini, goat cheese, basil, olives, and something else that I forgot. Right side: White anchovy pizza - anchovies, tomato, another kind of cheese?, lol.

Lastly we went to Nadège Patisserie, located at Queens St, between Ossington and Bathurst.
Right from the entrance I was impressed. The store looked clean, white, simple, but yet pretty cute. To be honest I didn't even notice the decor, because right away my attention was taken away by the desserts and sandwiches! XD lol.

We each bought 6 in a pack for $12.

And finally, Reggie opened her present (from like, two months ago, LOL). She's been talking about how she wanted to try these miniature Japanese food kits that she saw on youtube for a while now. So when I happened to spot these in a food store in the north and south ends of Pmall, I was so excited!

"Cupcake"

"Ramen set"

After that we went to Eatons, because I wanted to shop for a few loose tops at Forever 21 & H&M. Lately I've been wanting more looser fitting clothes since I gained weight again and didn't feel comfortable in fitted clothes =_=. But I found three tops that I liked :)

Overall, we had a good productive day! We went from OCAD, Cafe Crepe, past Chinatown, to Kensington Market, to Pizzeria Libretto, to Nadège, to Eatons Centre, and then home. :)

Lastly, a picture of Reggie and I from our impromptu travels on the TTC.

Herschel Backpack

2012-07-24T17:13:00.001-04:00

So I realized that lately my blog has become some what of a ..what-did-I-buy-today-sort of blog. It's because I'm just so lazy to take pictures of myself actually wearing the items. Plus, I'm usually running late. Lol.

Anyway, yesterday I bought a new backback! :D

I got the Black Herschel Backpack from Little Burgundy.

Only ONE year limited warranty :( but not like I use warranties anyway, lol.

Everyday Minerals, July 2012

2012-07-13T14:08:00.001-04:00

This is my second order from Everyday Minerals, though the first one was technically a half order since it was mainly samples. I ordered:

One foundation base in Light Medium
One soft bronzer
A double ended brush
& two mini sample blushes - which were on promo

I thought Light Medium was my shade, but why I didn't try out Light Medium before ordering the big size, I don't know. =_=. Actually, the LM sample was a bit darker than my skin colour so I had to mix it with Multi-Tasking Neutral sample to make it look lighter. But the big version seems to fit me fine o_o. Weird. (Or... I just got darker o_o weird again.) lol.

I'd say the coverage for this mineral base is sheer to medium. It's buildable so it differs. The "Semi-Matte" criteria DOES make my face look very moist after a few hours of wear... but "moist" is actually borderlining "oily" if I don't put loose powder over it. Though, no oxidizing, so the coverage stands.

The soft bronzer wasn't really very dark, so I suppose for lighter skinner people it'd be good for a natural look. But otherwise, ...I'm pretty sure if I went about two shades darker I could wear this as my foundation shade, lol.

I'm a fan of orange-toned blushes and lip products, so I wanted to try the coral blush "All Smiles". I was going to get the bigger product, but then with the promo going on at that time I decided to go for a bronzer in stead. Plus, I got Nature's Sweet Side along with it, which isn't really my style yet, but I could gift it to a friend~ so it was a good deal.

All Smiles looks really pink in this picture but it goes on more orange than pink. It looks really nice when I put it on since it is more orange-based. Kind of like giving my face some POP! of color.

I think I just found the orange blush I was looking for!

All Smiles

The double ended brush is nice, quite sturdy, but I find that the bristles are really anything out of the ordinary. It's soft enough, but not like... "wow" type of soft. Bought these for blush.

A problem with the sample blushes is that the containers are quite small. The small end of the dual brush seems to fit almost completely, which is fine. But the bigger end just barely fits.

So I use the smaller end to apply the colour, and then the fluffier end to blend it.

The bigger end of the dual brush dipped in All Smiles blush

The sizes compared to the Revlon 613 lipstick

A card that came with the package

And a promo coupon, which I'm probably not gonna use, so ... I'm just gonna leave it out here for anyone to use~

Will post pictures wearing these later, I'm so lazy right now, lol.

New Macbook Pro Cover

2012-07-11T19:08:00.001-04:00

Today I went to Pmall again, but this time with Charlene.

Got a new laptop cover/case for my 13" Macbook Pro (early 2011)!

I'd been using the Speck Transparent clear case, but tbh, I didn't ever like it... I just didn't feel confident enough to use colored cases a year ago =_=. And I totally should have gone with black. But anyway, yeah, so I got a new cover, finally, after almost a year :D

My favorite color since high school has always been purple and sometimes, pink. It seems though that lately I've been very much into pastels and natural/rural-toned feminine colours. So I'd been wanting a light pink case for a while now, but always felt afraid of getting attention (which, I don't even know why I'm so careful about, really =_=). I almost ordered a pink cover on eBay, like... multiple times, but I always backed out. But today since I was going to Pmall, and since I actually WAS going to buy a pink & purple case on eBay, I decided I might as well get it from Pmall (if I found a good price).

Which, I did. Got it for $13+tax.

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My New Acoustic Guitar!

2012-06-27T21:33:00.002-04:00

I ordered a Fender DG-8S Acoustic Guitar Pack from Long & Mcquade online on June 15th! And it arrived today! =D!

The reason why I didn't go and pick it up in-store was because I actually saw this specific guitar set in Steve's Music Store (downtown in Queen's Street), but I was turned off by the service and lack of extra stock, AND the state of the ONE guitar they had in stock on display. I was so bummed when I left the store cuz of an embarrassing situation that had happened there. But good thing for me, I found the same set on L&MQ's website online! And although I was going to pick it up on a Friday... (which was the friday with Charisse, actually), I found out that it was out of stock THE MORNING OF. So of course, I very very very minorly panicked, and ordered it online... even though it said Out of Stock online too... At that point I just didn't care, I just wanted my guitar, and as long as it was new out of the box, I didn't care where it came from.

So I was hoping that somehow the company would deal with the lack of stock, and I just paid, and was waiting for almost ten days until I emailed the company. A day later, an email came saying they shipped it! And THE NEXT DAY... Purolator brought it to my door. I actually didn't receive it in person, but apparently the mail guy came just ten minutes before I reached the door.

I kind of put off opening it cuz I wanted to take pictures with the dslr, but since my sister took it for her event, and since I was just so impatient... I just went ahead and used my phone to capture this memory, lol~

So on with the details of the guitar, and less of my rambling...

The order arrived in this HUGE box... which was like, around the same height as my shoulders. IT WAS EXCITING. LOL.

Right when I entered, the box was there. EXCITEMENT!

I opened the big box, and then a smaller triangular box, and THEN this box (below), and THEN the gig bag... which (finally) had the guitar. Lol.

The pack came with: "a dreadnought acoustic guitar with a solid spruce top (below), a gig bag, chromatic electronic tuner, an instruction DVD, strings, picks, and strap (not in the picture)

I specifically chose one with the (black top part?), not sure what it's called. I think it completes the simple color-theme. :)
~~Also, I think this guitar is maybe a 3/4 size~~... ~~because it isn't as big as Charlene's full-sized guitar for sure, and it fits into my arms better~~. It's not 3/4, it's a full sized guitar. Though I wish it was smaller now...

Originally my budget was under $100. But when I went shopping with my friend, Charlene, my budget kept going higher as I saw the guitars in person. Eventually my "Omg, $100 for a guitar..." mindset changed to "$200 for a good guitar?! Bargain!"

In the end, the price was $199.99, with Free Shipping, L&MQ Shipping Insurance ($6), tax ($23.53), and a random $25 rebate (I don't even know but I'm not complaining!)...
the total = $204.52

I thought it was a good deal, especially because the rebate took care of the tax, and since at that time I was unsure about this, I decided to get the $6 shipping insurance. (Even though I usually never do that, I wasn't willing to take the risk this time).

PLUS! I didn't have to bother carrying the huge box home. So it was good that I ordered it online after all. Hehe :P

Now the problem is that I haven't learned the guitar before. Other than playing around with Charlene's black full-sized one, I don't know how to play chords, I don't know the placements of the fingers, how to strum, etc. etc. But my younger cousin who took some lessons before (but forgot by now) gave me his old instructions book, so maybe I'm going to start with that. (Thank goodness for diagrams!)

Maybe after I practice some, and after I learn some, I will finally be able to play the songs I've been wanting to cover. First on my list is 곁에 by 짙은! :P (Yeah, all the songs I wanna do are like, Korean, LOL). But first... I need to understand all this musical lingo ><...

Someone teach me how to strum!!! @>_<@

Review: Daiso Blackhead Mask

2012-06-26T20:56:00.001-04:00

My Daiso Charcoal Blackhead Pore Peel Masque Cleanser came in the mail today~!
(Whew, that is a long name!)

I ordered it on eBay a few weeks ago, and at the cheap price of $5.14, and I thought it was a bargain compared to those nose strips that came in like small packs for around the same. This one is 80g, and apparently more effective. And since it isn't a strip, it's more convenient, since you can apply it on which ever areas you need. I always felt a bit unpleased that nose strips were in a specific shape, because not all noses are the same!!

Anyway~ so I cleansed my face with my Laneige Multileanser went ahead and applied it on my face... my WHOLE FACE. (Which I totally didn't need to do, and SHOULDN'T have done, actually, but I did...)

The texture was quite thick and sticky. It was like black gooey tar-like paste.

It started drying quite fast after I applied it. The areas I started with were already starting to solidify by the time I finished. When it was dry, it was like the texture of a hide of an animal, lol. If we were reptiles, this is how we would feel like, probably, lol~ Kind of like plastic.

Peeling off the mask was the unpleasant part. I've worn peel-off masks before, but that was years ago. Let me tell you, this mask will sting when you take it off. Especially if you put it on your forehead, your cheeks, your nose bridge, and anywhere near your eyes -- which you're not supposed to do. WHY I didn't think this through, I don't know.

I was just supposed to put it on my nose, that's what I'd bought it for, but after looking at the cartoon picture on the cover, I kind of just got carried away, lol.

In the end, I don't think it did much pore tightening, but it left my face really dry and red.

It definitely did get out some blackheads/whiteheads/I dunno whats, though!

I don't like to think I have sensitive skin, more like dry/combination; but the instructions on the back did say to use "Essence" if you have dry skin. Oh well.

My face is always so red/blemish-showing after I wash my face... =/ good thing it hides itself after it settles down though :P

Warning: Disgusting pictures of the mask peel below!

Nose area

So after I washed off the residue and patted dry, my face was all pink and stinging... which isn't a good sign, but I dunno.

So I used my CURE Natural Aqua Gel to get all the dead skin off :D
The only times I use this are the times when I need to, which is the only time I'm actually glad I bought it, lol. Other times I'm usually cursing at myself so spending so much money on it.

And then I used my favorite Skinfood Rice Mask. I tried this mask about two years ago, when I bought it for cheap from eBay. Then so conveniently my friend gave me a travel size one JUST as I was finishing my tub. This mask saved my face from when it was really dry.

Handy-dandy travel size, given as a souvenir by my friend

And after Laneige toner + essence + emulsion, my skin was much less red than before. I think the mask was just meant to be used mainly for the nose area. Or if you have like.. strong skin *_*. Sensitive skin people, beware.

A Day Out with Reggie~!

2012-06-24T00:59:00.001-04:00

Today I went out to meet my friend, Reggie (nickname), after a long time. We went to eat lunch at Fairview (again... lol).

A polaroid capture of me, taken by Reggie. See that big pile of cheese? YUP. It was my lunch! (It was actually the appetizer, but I didn't realize it would be for four people >< lmao) (So we shared, but still couldn't defeat the overwhelming cheesiness and had to walk away defeated with a take out box...)

Reggie with her cute digital polaroid~ (and the poutine -- which she finished! at least one of us finished her food, lol)

After lunch we went to watch Snow White and the Huntsman, which was... not... bad. But I can't exactly say it was great either. When the credits rolled, both of us were just like "...what... I... don't know what to say", LOL. I liked the look of the film, it was definitely HD and stunning. But can't say the same for the acting and editing. Kristen Stewart's acting was a bit meh, even though I tried to like it, I really did. And Charliz Theron was ...dramatic. O_O.

Some parts of the film were a bit 'off' too... like the scene would just cut, or it would seem random. Overall it could have been a lot better. It felt like there was potential that just fizzed out... and when we were done, both of us just had some kind of "incomplete" feeling. Which should never be a good thing to feel coming out from the theatres, I say.

The only thing I liked for sure was THORRRR~~~~~~ (lol~)
Chris Hemsworth~~~~
omgg~ la la la~ boy, did I like watching him, haha.
I realized today that I started having a bit of a crush on him. I didn't really pay much attention to him in Thor and Avengers, but in this movie he totally stole the scenes for me. He looked less "god-like" this time, and he was much more... human. Charming, he is. (And the Australian accent doesn't hurt!!) ;)

Anyway, we walked around a bit, and took pictures, la la la~

The polaroid of us together, her camera, and her newly bought canvas backpack!

We also visited the Apple store, and out of habit, I just had to webcam, lol!

The Apple store's lighting always makes me look so much better than in actuality, haha. I always look pale, and my lips always pink. I approve. XD

Anyway, it was a quick hang out, but it was still nice. I actually was supposed to give her her birthday present (from like, almost a month past), but I, being stupid, forgot to bring it with me =____=. It wasn't until I was on the second bus that I remembered, and since I was already a bit late, I didn't want to go back and get it.

Meh! I guess it was meant to be! We'll just have to hang out again! Mwaha!

Yay for a picture of us together! (We don't have a lot, but will work on that!)

Review: Everyday Minerals Samples Kit!

2012-06-21T22:13:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, my Everyday Minerals samples order finally arrived in the mail!

I'd been looking for a mineral foundation for a while now, and though I actually prefer pressed powder foundations over mineral, it's mainly because I hate having to tap the product into the lid. I almost always end up making a mess; and pressed powder is just so much more convenient. But after looking through reviews online, I came upon this brand of foundation... and the price just got to me. Even though it's mineral, not pressed, I trusted my instincts and went for it. Best of all, they gave out samples for FREE!

What first caught my interest was the variety of shades they offered. When I first when to the products page, I was SO CONFUSED. There was Light Fair, Light Medium, Medium Fair, Medium Neutral... I was like "???!!?". But then on their website they had a 'base finder' page, which listed all the types of shades and matched it to the different undertones people have. This part impressed me, because there explained undertones according to the vein colours on the underside of the arm, and according to how you tan. If you are someone who has trouble identifying your skin tone/shade, check this page out here: Know Your Undertones!!!

I'm a Light Medium. But I haven't confirmed this yet. *Will post pictures later when I do!*
Anyway, on with the pictures!!

Compact packaging

I haven't even tried the product yet but LOOK AT HOW CUTE THE PACKAGING IS!?!
BUNNIES!~~~~~~

Samples

Multi-Tasking Concealer - Travel

A roller ball applicator top

Silky

To be honest, I was disappointed that the samples didn't come in tiny plastic containers, but I suppose this is better for disposal and all. That, and the bunny prints totally distracted me, lmao!

Can't wait to try them all out!

(*Update: June 23)
So I tried out the Multi-Tasking Neutral (Matte) sample, and I found that yeah, I really don't like that the samples didn't come in small containers. The packet was basically a mini zip-lock packet, with powder everywhere. Anyhow, I used my BareMinerals lid to swirl the product into my brush. I found that the texture is similar, and the look is similar too.

The reason why I wanted to replace my BareMinerals was because:

I think I got the wrong shade -- it's too pink-toned for me, and my face already being a different colour from my neck, it looked unnatural.
Second, BM's texture is a bit scaly to me. I prefer more dusty/natural over plastic/scaly. At least over time the dust can settle into a powder-y look. But the scaly just makes it look so unnatural, I just wasn't pleased.

As for the shade, I don't know if I like Multi-Tasking Neutral for my face, it's still a bit pink-toned, or makes my face looks paler/pinker. So maybe I'll try the other samples and compare later on. But for now, moving on to the pics!

Everyday Minerals sample of Multi-tasking Neutral Matte, Everyday Minerals Concealer (lightly under the eyes), Dior Diorshow Mascara, Annabelle Smoothliner in Black & Taupe, ELF blush, L'oreal Lip balm in Caring Coral, mixed with Revlon's Creamsicle (which I bought a few days ago!)

With flash

Doesn't look that bad from far away, yeah?

Took it real quick before leaving for the day

A Day in Vaughn

2012-06-19T02:15:00.000-04:00

I went to Charisse's house today.

The plan was to go there before noontime, because usually if I go somewhere after noontime, I feel like the day is somewhat shorter. So I left the house at around 11:30, and then realized that I had no cash, and no TTC bus tokens except for one. So I ended up spending time going to the bank at Finch to withdraw money. By the time I got to the YRT/VIVA bus station, it was around 12:40-ish?

So I get on, I sit for about 10-15 minutes, all the while playing with my phone... and then I realize, "Wait. I'm on a bus. And I'm not on just ANY bus. I'm on the bus to Charisse's house..." then I look outside, AND I DON'T RECOGNIZE MY SURROUNDINGS.

YES. THAT'S RIGHT.
I GOT LOST IN VAUGHN TODAY.

So I sort of mini-freeze... and try to call her to ask for assistance/ideas, and the call doesn't connect. =_=. So then I look up the map for the bus route, and not knowing how far or how long the bus was going to take, I just stay sitting... hoping that maybe I could just sit until it looped back. Boy, was I wrong. It was a good thing Charisse called me back, because otherwise I would have sat waiting in that bus for HOURS, apparently. SMH. It was so fail. Lol.

Anyway, so I got on the bus going the opposite direction, eventually. And eventually, I reached Charisse's.

Now the nice parts! Yay! :D

We went to the grocery store and bought frozen pizza, perogies, a pack of cheesestrings, eggs for her errand, cheetos, and a lemon (for lightening my hair in the sun). We also visited this guitar shop, which was cool because I got to learn some things about guitar sizes and wood types. But after that I bought a Tim Horton's sandwich, chocolate donut, and lemonade; which was a total waste of money. Especially because I forgot to eat the sandwich once we started baking the frozen foods, and then I left the sandwich at Charisse's house. =__=.

The whole day we practically spent half the time sitting at her kitchen island, either waiting for frozen foods to bake, or eating them. LOL.

The cake Charisse baked, it was nicely moist and soft~

The Chicken Salad Sandwich that I forgot in my bag >_>...

Spinach Pizza

We sort of overcooked it, but it was still yums!

Cheetos~~~~ (which I totally need to buy for myself)

Using Chicken curry leftover garlic bits and sauce as dip for my pizza, lol!

The Chicken curry Charisse's mom made (this is just the leftover gingers though)

Me, reusing the Lemonade cup, for water

Spinach and Feta Cheese Perogies!!!!!

Arranged nicely to bake in the oven

Meanwhile, the avocado Charisse used to make her 'Green shake'

It was my first time directly trying avocado, and let's just say... I WAS NOT PLEASED.

The concoction that I could not stand, but which Charisse loved. *_*

Cute pink dish washing scrub... which grabbed my attention, because I've always used the ugly green ones. ;_; this is so random, but still.

We might have over baked the perogies too, but whatever! Better than it being raw! lol.

Our second spinach-containing dish of the day, hmm...

A lovely picture of Charisse~

And then this was when we finally moved OUT of the kitchen, and back into the family room, and Reese (Charisse's very cute dog) asked to climb up on the sofa, and then stole Charisse's spot from RIGHT UNDER HER! LOL!

We also took Reese for a walk to the park in the neighbourhood. And though we were supposed to come back, and then go to the OTHER park on the other side of the neighbourhood, we ended up just staying in, lol. So technically, this outing was more of a staying in day.

We didn't do anything extraordinary, but it was a mellow, low-key, very relaxed sort of hanging out.

It was nice~ ♡

Dariya Palty Bubble Hair Dye - Namachoco Waffle

2012-06-18T01:46:00.001-04:00

So I dyed my hair for the first time ever today.

I had red, pink, and lilac highlights before, but never dyed my whole head.

I knew about the brand, Palty, since I think five or six years ago, when I was into Japanese fashion and stuff. At that time Palty was the craze among fans. My gosh, I still remember, it was like the cool brand of hair dye on Soompi forums. Anyway, yeah, so I knew about it for a while now. But then since dyeing my whole head of hair went against my "principles" (aka my Beautician mother's brainwashing/random lectures on how non-Professional beauty products are the worst evil concoctions ever created)... I never wanted to change my hair colour fully or anything. Until... well, now.

The hair dye I used was

Dariya's Palty Bubble Hair Color - "NamaChoco Waffle"

I got taken in by her bangs in this picture, tbh. =_=. And the colour looked brown but natural-looking, but.. nice? It looks more red-toned in this picture though.

I don't know why I didn't think it through. The darkest hair colour chart hardly showed any change right from the beginning.

All the tools/ingredients from the box

Tsubaki hair oil+gloves in the packet (bottom left)

The Process

I told my sister to capture the process, and voila! I made it into a neat gif! lol! (How I waste my time during the summer, yes.) (Click):

Step 1 - Bottle formula

Step 2 - Tube cream

Step 3 - Mix

Step 3, contd. - Mix until foamy

The Foam

The foam kept turning darker over time. Here it looks like chocolate mousse...

I know some people wrote online that the formula was chunky, and the ingredients wouldn't mix well together; and I also found that when I first started mixing #1 and #2 together. I still kept mixing and trying to get the formula to blend together, and it paid off. When I stopped, the foam was foam, not some bubbles with chunks of #2 in it.

The foam also got darker over time. Since I was taking a while with putting it on my hair, I think I let it sit for about 3-4 minutes while I was rushing here and there.

By the end it looked like s*** but at the same time... like mousse...

I don't know why I was so rushed in the morning, but I unboxed and did the whole process quite hurriedly. I was kind of planning on parting my hair into layers and sections and doing some sort of layered natural ombre look, but since I just winged it, it didn't work out how I was imagining.

The foam also had a really strong chemical smell to it. At one point I just couldn't take it anymore. (That's when I realized I should have turned the exhaust switch on before shutting myself and my sister in the washroom... lol!)

Application

Applying the dye was easy enough. Though, since I was trying to make my bottom layers lighter, and upper layers more natural, I put a lot on the bottom partition... which led to me running out near the top. At the beginning I was also trying to not dye my roots, which is why the roots at the bottom part of my head are probably closer to my natural hair color still.

The foam was alright but it looked like mucky cream in my hair after a few minutes of soaking in though. I was supposed to wait a bit after I applied the foam to my bottom layers. But I was impatient, so I started applying on my layers higher and higher, and eventually reached the top of my head. =_=.

Results!

I waited for about 30 minutes... (or did I?... lol) and then went for a shower. Actually, I think I just took like.. 10-15 mins applying, and then waited like.. 10-15 mins. LOL. And then I just used regular Tresemme shampoo and moisturizing conditioner. At that time I had no idea what to do with the Tsubaki hair oil packet, or when to use it either. So I used it after my hair was almost dry... and that too, unevenly. =_=. How fail I was today... sigh.

This was after I washed the dye out, still damp

Hardly any color change, only at some parts is it more brown

The dye may not have changed the colour very well, but it definitely did something to the texture of my hair! And that's not in a good way either! My hair texture isn't as smooth, and I don't have a lot of hair. So it's not fine, but it's not coarse either. But I do have less of it. After I dyed it, it felt more like hay. But of course, after I put the Tsubaki oil it was better by a bit...

After

Before

I wasn't expecting a lot to start with, but I was still a bit disappointed that the colour didn't work as much. But then again, it's my fault for being impatient =_=. I think it's also partially because I was bummed for buying Palty in stead of Liese... but maybe next time I'll do a better job, and get better results. =_=. Oh wells!

At least I don't have completely dark hair anymore, it has SOME tints/highlights... (or so I'd like to think). I just didn't want to look so grungy anymore. My hair was dark, but when combined with my pale face, I sort of looked albino/gothic. Especially when my eyeliner smudged underneath my eyes, and put emphasis on my eye bags =_=.

I think I'm going to try to lighten some streaks at the bottom with lemon juice and soak some sun in.

But anyway! Experience is experience!

*Update! (June 29, 2012)

Just quickly snapped these outside... this is how it looks like now when I'm under the sun. My hair color was already quite light in the sun, but now it has more of a red/brown tint than a ...brown/brown tint? lol.

My Lip Collection 2012

2012-06-16T22:03:00.000-04:00

I always find that I never finish my products. And yet, I keep buying more and more.

So I just recently added the Revlon Colorburst & L'oreal Lipbalm series to my purse, but I decided to take a take a picture of all the lip products that I currently own (and haven't given to my sister).

Revlon Lipstick in 613 Just Enough Buff, MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner (from years ago), Revlon Colorburst in 015 Tutti Fruitti, L'oreal Lipbalm in 418 Caring Coral, Revlon Colorburst in 080 Strawberry Shortcake, Korres Lip Butter in Mango, and Miss Tangerine Follow Me Tint in Orange

The new Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter series seems to be really good for my lips, especially because I have a tendency to bite my lips, which when added to the lack of moisturizing, makes my lips look really not smooth (--the reason why I only wear balms). I don't wear lipstick because it feels and looks unnatural. Which is why I sort of gave away my Revlon 613 to my sister, (even though she's only 15, lol). But the Colorburst series is like a mixture of lipstick + balm so it's perfect. It doesn't feel AS unnatural, looks like lipstick, is of a nice texture, and is balmy enough at the same time. So it's nice. I can appear more sophisticated (ha!) while still feeling comfortable.

I'm kinda tempted to get the Creme Brulee or Berry Smoothie, but I know I shouldn't... it's not a necessity, per se... and I already spent like $30+ on the three new additions. (Which, if my friend Charlene heard about, would shake her head and give me a huff at)

Now the L'oreal Lip butter series... I only have the 418 Caring Coral. ~~I actually haven't even tried it yet, so I can't exactly say~~. Actually, I just tried it, and it's good! I had been eyeing it for quite a while. I'd read good reviews on it too, so it was like "yay~!" when I finally found the color I wanted. I wanted to get Rose Elixir at first, but I couldn't find it in stock so that was a no-go. The texture of this series seems to be really smooth and balmy. Which is totally what I like, usually, but lately I've been wanting more colour... so maybe this one will have to stay below the Revlon ones on my favorites list. For now. The only time I use it is when I need some moisturizing action on my lips but my hands aren't clean for the Korres. Or if I need a bit of color and sheen on my lips, but I don't want to get the full color effect from Revlon Colorburst. The colour is really sheer, so although I got Coral, its like.. more pink than orange. Which kind of makes me wonder if I want to get Rose Elixir anyway now...

~~I hope it will be somewhat different than how the Korres one turns out though~~ IT IS. The texture/appearance looks very similar to me. But the main difference is that the Korres one is more of a sticky coloured balm than the L'oreal one. And the L'oreal has more sheen than Korres (which has more of a tinted colour). Not to say that I don't like my Korres anymore! I totally still love it. I just hate having to wait until I can wash my hands until I can apply it again. I should have gotten the tube, totally. Sigh.

The Korres definitely lasts longer than the L'oreal Lip Butter though. It's more moisturizing and the color is more prominent. The lip butter is more like a gloss, but without the stickiness of a gloss.

If I were to rank the three...
Moisturizing
1. Korres
2. L'oreal Lip Butter
3. Revlon Colorburst

Color
1. Revlon Colorburst
2. Korres
3. L'oreal Lip Butter

There's also the Miss Tangerine Follow Me lip tint in the Orange colour, but I don't use it anymore, to be honest. Especially because it's a -tint-, and because my lips are already more of a red shade than pink... I stopped using it. It IS an orange shade... but when it melts, it's pink. And I mean BRIGHT pink. I ordered it hoping for more of a coral-y orange result, but it makes me look like I'm wearing orange-ish red.

And then there's the old Mac Tinted Lip Conditioner from maybe two years ago (><). Like I said before, I hardly EVER finish my products, so yeah... this is another one of them... (><) and I hate throwing things away, so it's just... been in my makeup pile. =_=. I still like the colour of this, but it doesn't feel good compared to the newer products, so it's another one of the "I-don't-use-it-but-keep-it-to-make-my-collections-look-bigger" type of things. It's probably expired too, but... anyway, moving on.

Miss Tangerine Follow Me Tint in Orange, MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner, Revlon Lipstick in 613 Just Enough Buff, Revlon Colorburst in 080 Strawberry Shortcake, L'oreal Lipbalm in 418 Caring Coral, Revlon Colorburst in 015 Tutti Fruitti, Korres Lip Butter in Mango

My arm is so pale, the mauve pink looks even more bright =_=

The Miss Tangerine tint is so bright here, it actually tinted my arm pink after just 5 minutes of wear, lol.

The Korres swatch looks so brown here, but it's not, it's just the lighting.

Anyway, so yeah... those are the products I have for 2012! Archiving :P

A Good Outing Day!

2012-06-16T18:37:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I went out to Pmall and Fairview with my friend Charisse. I'd originally planned to go downtown to Long & Mcquade to get this guitar pack that I had my eye on, but when I checked online yesterday I found that it was sold out. So... I freaked and ordered it online. o-o. Which... I should have just done earlier in the week. Smh.

Anyhow, since we'd already made plans to go out, we decided to go to Pmall first. And good thing we did! I found quite a few things that I had been looking for/keeping tabs on online. I got these from Pmall on impulse... but I'd been looking for the plastic stretchy hair bands and plastic donut bun maker for a while! So yeah, it was nice to finally find it in the Beauty stores there. I had read good reviews on the Q10 Nano Eye mask and I sent one to my friend in India through eBay, but I dunno why, I bought it for myself too. It was cheaper than online (for $10) so I didn't feel as guilty, I guess.

Also, I (finally) bought the Palty hair dye *_*. I'd pushed off dyeing my hair for so long, but I finally went through with it and bought it, ~~meaning I'll really do it now~~. Not! I just read bad reviews on it! This is what happens with impulse purchases! What I'll do with it now? I dunno =_=. Maybe I'll try it out anyway but just do some parts of the hair? Iunno. I'll see.

Moving on, I also got the Biore Body Foam wash -- WHICH I thought was going to come out in foam form like the Marshmellow Foam Whip, but it turned out NOT. It was such a bummer, cuz I spent $12 on just... regular soap. Smh.

Biore Body Foam in Refresh (Apple scented) ($12), Q10 Nano Eye Mask ($10), Palty Hair Dye in Namachoco Waffle ($10), Donut hair bun maker ($5)

So we went to Fairview afterwards, and we spent most of our four hours at H&M, Forever 21, and Shoppers. Finally found the Revlon Lipbalm in Tutti Frutti and L'oreal Colourburst Lip Butter in Caring Coral! I wanted Rose Elixir too, but that was sold out, unfortunately. But still, it was satisfying enough! I went to about three or four Shoppers to get the Revlon and L'oreal Lip colours but the ones I wanted were always sold out. So this was definitely the highlight of my purchases of the day, lol.

My latest additions to my lip products collection: bought these from Shoppers this week:

Strawberry Shortcake, Caring Coral, and Tutti Frutti

Tutti Frutti, Caring Coral, and Strawberry Shortcake

I bought the 080 - Strawberry Shortcake on Monday when I went downtown with Charlene. It wasn't Tutti Frutti or the other pink one I wanted from Revlon (which I can't remember anymore), but I went according to the label colour. It turned out to be more mauve-y pink than bubblegum pink, but I decided to keep it anyway.

And from H&M and Forever 21:

Black & White floral skirt - Forever 21, $11.80

Cream floral print skirt - Forever 21, on sale for $10

H&M Skinny light denim pants ($12.95), Pink and bronze spring necklace - Forever 21, $4.80?

Burgundy oversized cardigan - H&M, on sale for $20

Overall it was a good day.
The day was unplanned, and we just made decisions on the moment, and it felt good! We even went to Destinys after Fairview, cuz our friend Liana returned from her program in Sasketchewan, and it was like a reunion thing. The best part? Charisse and I walked around in our wedges for like.. 10 hours. On and off, I suppose, but still, it was mainly walking! Actually, we even ran twice I think! Lol. (We are newbies so it's something worth mentioning).

But yeah~ it was a good outing day. :)

♡

Another beginning, as always...

2012-06-14T01:05:00.003-04:00

Hmm. I think I will try this new thing...