goldfish cake has moved to GolfishCake.com!!!

omg they let her have a domain

2008-08-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

Further updates will now be made at www.goldfishcake.com

Honorable Pwnage

2008-08-05T03:56:00.000-07:00

A year or so back, I was doing research on the issue of rape in Africa for my journalism class. I have to admit, most of the research and work I put into was not as up to par, nor applied with as much passion, as it could have been.

Wait, Alienman! You basically wrote the frilliest sentence possible that basically means your work was shitty and half-assed!

I admit to no such thing, particularly since certain professors and Graduate Teaching Fellows might coincidentally stumble upon this not-so-anonymous blog. For the official record, I maintain that this class was the most well-taught and well-executed combination of lectures and workshops that I have ever partaken in.

As I was saying...

Part of the requirements for this research was to record and annotate an interview with an "expert stakeholder" in the issue. I had the opportunity to interview one very busy Charlene Smith, a South African journalist and former rape survivor, who is now a deeply involved gender activist. Unfortunately, she gave me less than a few hours to come up with questions and, having already lost days of sleep with the upcoming finals, the best I could do at that hour was not the best I could have done. Still, I did not want to pass up on this chance to get an interview out of someone who might have so much to offer in regards to my research.

Less than an hour ago, my cousin calls me from Hungary to say hello. Just before he hung up, he asked, "Hey did you ever interview someone in South Africa?"

o_O "How did you know that?!"

He had somehow stumbled unto a copy of this interview online, which was much to my bewilderment as I had never published that piece myself. It turns out, Charlene Smith had posted this on her website and had fully disclosed my first and last name.

Boy, did my face turn red when I saw that in there -_-

In the e-mail response to my interview questions, Charlene did offer great insights in regards to this issue, but she sure as hell didn't refrain from making me feel like a total ass because of my apparent inability to word things carefully. So, seeing it all there, in full frontal-nude glory makes me feel kind of humiliated. At the least, it would have been nice to have been informed that this would be published with my full name.

HOWEVER, I am not so ashamed of my poor journalistic skills that I would refrain from letting my fellow ladies access the wisdom that Charlene has to share.

Here is the link to the interview she posted. Yea, yea, I hear you guys laughing and saying, "ALIENMAN GOT PWNED HAW HAW WHAT A DUMBASSSS!!!!"

Yea, well, better to be pwned and urged to become better at what I want to do than to have not had a chance to speak with her at all. I still can't believe she took the time out of her busy schedule (she was hours away from a flight, too!) to speak with me. If not for her, I would have continued to use the term "rape victim" and not "rape survivor", not understanding the immense difference between the two. I am especially impressed by her answer to my last question, so I hope you guys read what she has to say.

Monolid Smoky Eye attempt

2008-07-31T12:55:00.000-07:00

Well, my dear ladies, it's me again and I have finally attempted a REAL SMOKY EYE as opposed to all the fake sissy ones I've tried to pull off.

In a way, the above title is a LIE because when my lashes are curled, or when I am wearing false lashes, my bulgy monolids GET PUSHED UP and FOLD INTO THEMSELVES, thus creating a fake DOUBLE-LID. WTF?!?!?!?! WATDARFUGGGG

It's not even the pretty kind either. It's that bulge over bulge... much like the rolls of my tummy when I'm bending over. Yea, how do you like THAT visual.

Why am I mad?!?! I'm not mad! I'm just capitalizing a lot of random words and typing in lots of exclamation point and question marks?!?!?! That doesn't mean I'm mad?!?!?!

Haha, okay, but seriously. This is a HUGE drawback on my "fight" against this stigma against monolids, people! Also, I've FINALLY come to love and appreciate the uniqueness of my monolids and suddenly my HIGH SCHOOL DREAMS decide to finally come true. Next thing you know, I'll turn into a white girl (what, I'm the only Asian girl who wanted to be white in 5th grade?).

So, here I am, trying to dispel the prevalent myth that monolids can't wear makeup or the smoky eye, and I think it might have worked IF I HADN'T CURLED MY LASHES or PUT IN FALSIES. Furthermore, I think putting on eye makeup enhances the otherwise invisible crease.

Before we reveal the smoky eye, though, I wanted to show you another photo of my previous EOTD. I added a more dramatic eyeliner and curled my lashes some more. This is how I learned that a LONG wing makes my eyes look SMALLER. LOL!!!

Wtf? How did that get there?! YOU!! OUT!!!

Okay, here's today's EOTD w/that dramatically aforementioned smoky eye. It's cam-whory cuz I wanted to flatter myself:

What the... AM I HUMPING MYSELF?!?! ZOMG STOP ET

Okay, where was I?

I had to change the lighting a bit on Photoshop b/c it looked so washed out and almost pastel in that photo.

Here's a couple of close-ups taken in bright daylight:

-_- don't ask... I've had WAY too much coffee

Used:

NYX Purple for inner and outer corners and slightly dragged over the socket
Physicians Formula charcoal grey color from Baked Smokes trio - foiled and used at outer corners
Prestige Ebony blended in at very outer corners to intensify contrast
Coastal Scents Hi Light Violet loose shadow over middle
Physicians Formula silver color from Baked Smokes trio - foiled and dabbed between Hi Light Violet and charcoal grey color, as well as lower rim
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Cottage Cheese over tear ducts and browbone
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
Echos DG false lashes
CoverGirl LashBlast

I probably used more product than I should have but I was totally in experimental mode.

However, the contrasts of light and dark are very washed out. The darker colors are way more intense than it shows. I attempted to take pictures in the bathroom, hoping to give you a better view but they came out blurry... hope they help nonetheless.

I love how HUGE my nose looks.

OMG I SO COOL I SIT ON BATHROOM COUNTER

You can see that the texture, if not anything else, of my skin has shown some improvement since I've started using Top-Gel. As for whiteness, well, I can't really tell and the photos don't help because I seem to change with every damn picture I take. Once I figure what THAT is all about, maybe I'll finally learn to take some decent photographs, too.

2008-07-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

Wotts Goen Ong!!!!

Girls, I am slowly going out of my mind.

I realized that, the more time I have to blog, the less I have to blog about. This is especially factored by the decrease in work hours leading to a decrease in revenue, thus placing me under a sort of house arrest due to the fact that stepping out the door ultimately results in an occasion to SPEND MUNNAY. This is the worst sentence I have probably ever written.

So, as a desperate (and futile) means to balance out the waste to gain ratio, I've cut up every plastic bag I could lay my hands on into thin strips.

Now, I can make stir fry and not worry about buying food for a few more days.

Of course, I'm kidding. I'm actually going to knit the shreds together.

Here's a closer view.

I've finished one section and I'm almost done w/section 2.

Hopefully, this will become a decent reusable grocery bag. Right now, it looks kind of gross, like regurgitated ramen. O, well, it's meant to be a grocery bag, so it doesn't matter how pretty it is, right? I'm kind of worried about it falling apart under the weight of groceries, though. I'll have to test it out.

I got the idea from one of my favorite knitting books, Simple Knits with a Twist. Yes, it's a favorite knitting book, but I haven't even gotten around to making anything else suggested in the book. I'm that lazy.

I'm finally getting around to the plastic bag one because I feel guilty about bringing home tons of plastic bags but I'm too cheap to pay the 99 cents for a reusable one that's offered at every store. What's funny is that, at one point, I had to look forward to bringing home more bags because I was out of "yarn" for my project.

More about having too much free time and being extremely lazy.

I promised Emilee that I'd help create a mascot for the swap blog but my creative juices have been at level zero this past couple of weeks. I hate when this happens. I get all excited about starting a new project or getting back "in the zone" or whatever and, maybe I'm just putting too much pressure on myself or something, because I find myself staring into a blank screen for hours.

I should also be writing some cover letters and sending out resumes, but I'm too damn lazy to do anything. Depression? Probably. It took me two weeks to reschedule an appt with the counseling center. Excessive tiredness? Could be. I've been taking tons of naps because I'm always tired. I think it's like a vicious circle.. I get tired b/c I have been so lazy b/c I have been tired b/c I've been lazy etc...

So, I shall leave you with:

quick update

2008-07-21T02:55:00.000-07:00

for those of you who liked my acrylics, xxwoofykinsxx is back with her July batch and they look AMAZING but they're selling FAST!

*****AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND THEY'RE GONE

also looks like she's selling circle lenses now

this girl is a marketing genius

I couldn't have done it without you...

2008-07-21T01:02:00.000-07:00

*sob...

o gawd, o gawd... I didn't think I'd win! It was an honor just to have been nominated! I didn't even prepare a speech! Good thing you guys finally came to your senses and learned to REKUNNIZE!!!! Now, gimme that damn award. *Snatches award from Fei and Nessa*

You guys have no idea how awkward it would sound if I used the word "recognize" in that manner. When I speak, I'm such a geeky librarian type... that lives out in the booniez.

Thank you guys for nominating me! Haha, and both the ladies seem to be under the impression that I'm sweet. Good. My plan is working...

Here are my nominations! I know some of you have already been mentioned but I can't help it!

(g) - It's so easy to fall in love with you. When you are happy, we are happy with you; when you are down, we want to beat the crap out of anybody that takes your smile away. Actually, I'm a pathetic coward, so I'd probably just end up hiding in an alley and tripping the perp with a dark cable, and then running off into the night with his wallet. Good thing you got that dog to protect you :D

Liz - You're one of the reasons I'm truly glad to have gotten into beauty blogging. Otherwise, we probably would never have met. I'm actually scared to imagine not knowing you now. A zombie's life sounds livelier.

Kaye Bee - Another inspirational figure in my life! If you weren't so busy, I'd ask you to be a mentor, but I'll have to make do with August and the occasional e-mail ;) So, please stop blocking my e-mails :*(****

Nessa - O, she credits me for being the nice one but we all know who the true sweetie-pie is. This girl is one of the most reliable anchors that keeps our community together. Thanks for being there for us with your vast knowledge/experience and willingness to pass on that knowledge to the rest of us! You are the Hello Kitty to our Sanrio. You are the Mrs. Cunningham to our Tale Spin. You are the Monica to our Friends, the Syrup to our community Waffle, the Nutella to our Crepes, the letter T in our Wheel of Fortune, the... the... I can't think of anymore... it's REALLY late at night.

Chi - Ah, the many promises we made to each other, of warm, wet fragrant love-making! Well, even if that never comes true, I'm satisfied with the verbal stimulation we give each other ;) wink-wink and a nudge-nudge?

Wuzzyangel - How can I not show love for my doppleganger?!?! Same sense of humor, same birthweek - even our cats look alike. So, there's no question that this girl is nothing short of AWESOME, bwa ha ha! Get it?? Cuz I'm awesome??? Get it?? GET IT??? @_@

Christy - Nothing like a charming little gold nugget for me to taint and molest! Cute as a button, smart as a whip and a great personality to boot. Ah, my little minion, Unni has taught you well! HA. Who am I kidding. If I had had anything to do with your upbringing, you would have turned out into a Gollum. So, maybe it's a good thing you're way over there and I'm way over here <.<;;;;;;;

What!! I'm not done, yet!!!!!! Whose bright idea was it to limit this to seven? *shakes fist into air for added dramatic flare

Welp, you know the drill:

1) When received, you may post the premio to your blog.
2) Link to the blogger you received it from.
3) Give it to 7 blogs
4) Link to those 7 blogs
5) Leave those seven bloggers a comment about receiving the brilliant premio.

Well, even if you weren't mentioned here, you guys know I love you, right? No question about it!

Hey Ladies

2008-07-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

It's been too long since my last update and my last update wasn't even a REAL update because all I did was post a picture and try to convince you guys that Kaye Bee was Tinkerbell. To those of you who clapped, by the way, I'm finally glad I've met someone even more naive than me and I want to tell you that I'm impressed by your innocence and pureness of heart.

(freaks)

AHAHAHA j/k j/k I love you guys, zomg don't kill meeeee

Not much to report on even now. I had to take out my acrylics b/c the thumbnail broke when I was cleaning and other nails just fell off. I was spring-cleaning the kitchen b/c of the outbreak of ants in our home, yick.

By the way, I wanted to give you guys an update on the Yukiumi Nails Shop link I gave you last time. It appears that Yukiumi Nails are handmade, but I don't think they're handmade by the girl whose link I provided last week. Rather, she appears to be one of their online vendors.

I was kind of scared to try MCA Top-Gel because I have no idea what it contains and I've heard of whitening agents in Asia leading to disfiguring side-effects. I've also heard rumors of Top-Gel containing steroids.

However, I finally got fed up with everything else disappointing me, including the benzoyl peroxide that turned my eyes into big red eggs, I caved in and ordered a jar of Top-Gel.

I think it's been just a little over two weeks now.

Post 2 week review of MCA Top-Gel.

PROS:

It dries up blemishes faster than anything else I've used. I DID purge heavily the first two days, but they also disappeared quickly.
I've also noticed that scarring seems to fade faster
The areas of my skin where there were no break outs look so much healthier overall. The skin tone in those areas are more even, glowy(not lighter) and calm-looking.

CONS:

I'm still getting new blemishes. I'll keep an open mind for the next couple of weeks, though. Also, my diet and sleeping pattern have been incredibly shitty, so what could I possibly expect?
NO INGREDIENTS LISTED ON THE BOX. Look, I'm not one of those people who read and research every ingredient in their makeup, but even for me, this is scary. A product w/the name "MCA Top-Gel" was banned in a few countries for containinga steroid called Flourcinonide and a whitening agent called Hydroquinone that was linked with some pretty scary side effects.
However, further research leads me to believe that such side effects only occur when hydroquinone is used in high concentration or combined with other certain whitening agents. The problem is, though, I haven't the faintest clue if MCA Top-Gel contains other whitening agents. To be honest, even if they did have a label w/the ingredients, I wouldn't really trust it.
I'm not even sure if this is the same MCA Top-Gel because I'm seeing pictures floating around of something with the same name but in a completely different packaging and THAT one definitely contains floucinonide. See the problem here? Confusing as hell.
I'm already sick of seeing my face covered in white balm every night. I keep getting the stuff all over the place - the bedsheets, pillowcases, boyfriend, cat...

Smells like vagina the first week.

After waiting for what felt like several years, we finally saw the Dark Knight. I bought tickets two weeks in advance. I usually don't buy tickets in advance unless it's a little gift for the boyfriend. I'm a HUGE fan of Batman, but I don't appreciate EVERY representation of it. Prior to Batman Begins, the only version of Batman I could love without condition was the Animated Series and maybe the Tim Burton ones.

The plan was to buy snacks at the supermarket, get to the theater at least 30 minutes early, pick up the tickets and find good seats.

The execution of the plan was more along the lines of buying snacks at the supermarket, getting to the theater an hour early only to realize I didn't have my debit card or a confirmation number for my tickets, trying to work with the COMPLETE incompetence of the theater staff to find my confirmation code, standing in line for about ten minutes and just barely finding decent seats. Serves me right for not being prepared.

The movie experience was amazing. Normally, the boyfriend gets really distracted when the theater is crowded and people around us are being complete half-wits - hooting at scenes, laughing loudly at things that aren't funny, etc. The token dumb-ass group was present in this crowded 10:50 showing, but the brilliancy of the movie itself definitely outweighed the pathetic loud laughter of the girl behind us who cracked up hysterically at the dumbest jokes. The bf actually came out of the theater a happy camper. I still hope to be able to watch this on IMAX.

Okay, you caught me. I actually have nothing to talk about and I'm squeezing out this entry for the pure sake of updating. I haven't purchased anything new because I'm pathetically broke.

I've also decided I won't be posting hauls anyway, because I no longer want to be a blog that contributes to an already heavily spending habit of our beauty blogging community. Also, when I post reviews on stuff I've purchased, it will only be after I've used it to a point where I KNOW what it's doing for me. A week, sometimes even two, is just not enough for me to draw such conclusions. Sometimes, my initial reaction to something after 2 weeks is not the same as my reaction to the same thing after several months.

This post is boring because there's no visual aid. There's no visual aid b/c I am too lazy to post on my desktop and I hate rubbing my fingers over the fingerpad (ick, the friction is so unpleasant). It's my nap time now. Bye!

Finally, Kaye-Beeeee!!!

2008-07-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

Adventures of Kaye-Bee by ~bemil302 on deviant ART

Thanks for the love, guys!I am editing this blog to let you guys know that Kaye-Bee's blog has been removed because HER SOUL IS MINE.

So, if you want to see her again, you have to BELIEVE.

DO YOU BELIEVE?!

IF YOU BELIEVE, THEN CLAP YOUR HANDS!!!!!

Holy crap, I need to go to bed.

Holy crap, I'm IN bed but I'm BLOGGING.

Holy crap, good night, gurlz. I larve yooooor!!!!!

holy crap

2008-07-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd really like wearing fancy acrylics but I guess it's just not my style, after all. However, I won't ever stop enjoying these as works of art. This girl's works are sooooo pretty!

You can't always view Yukiumi Princess Nail Shop products. She displays only according to availability. However, if you keep her livejournal bookmarked, you might eventually get to see some sheer talent. She also posts product updates on Asian Beauty of LiveJournal. If you're into acrylics and elaborate nail art, you'll probably like her stuff.

that is a life jacket, not a kinky bathing suit worn over a coat... and pls excuse my Princess Bride reference... that was uncalled for

thank you for viewing this crap

Your First False Lashes Pt. 2

2008-07-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

Last week, I graced these pages with some tips on how to purchase your first pair of natural-looking false eyelashes.

Today, I hope to alleviate your fear of trying on these babies with the following tutorial. I hope you guys find this helpful.

Chances are that you'll have to practice it a few times before actually heading out the door in them. So, make sure to do this when you have time to spare, as you would when playing around with other new makeup for the first time.

Firstly, are your peepers ready for falsies???

Before you put on falsies 1: Wait until you've finished applying your eye makeup. (O gross, I need a wax job... You can click on any of the images for a closer view)

Before you put on falsies 2: Apply eyeliner!

Even if you usually don't wear eyeliner, you'll have to this time, especially if you're a falsie noob. The eyeliner camouflages the backbone of the falsie, so even if the falsies aren't on perfectly straight or symmetrically, the eyeliner will hide this.

Before you put on falsies 3: Curl your eyelashes

Before you put on falsies 4: (If your lashes don't hold a curl very well) Apply 1 coat of waterproof mascara

All right, let's get to the good part!!!

STEP 1: TRIM YOUR FALSE LASHES… OMG I MEAN IT; WILL YOU TRIM THE DAMN THING, GAWD

By this, I mean, trim the falsie along the backbone. I usually trim mine about three or four notches/clusters in from the outside. That's 3 or 4 x's in on an XN.

Seriously, I can't stress this enough.

Having a long backbone won't do anything for you. It will irritate the inner corners of your eyes and drive you crazy throughout the day, even increasing your desire to poke and prod at it, ESPECIALLY if you're a total falsie noob. A backbone that's too long won't blend in with your eyeliner very well, thus making it obvious that you're wearing false lashes. It overpowers your eyes, thus making them smaller, which I'm sure is the opposite of what you were going for. Also, if it's too long, it will fall off more easily.

Furthermore, you needn't worry about it being too short. For one thing, you wouldn't be dumb enough to hack the thing in half; you'd be more cautious than that… uh, right? Also, whether or not the inside lashes look long doesn't make much of a difference. It's the middle and outer parts of the lash line that really show a difference. That's why some falsies actually come in partial lengths.

STEP 2: Put a drop of glue on a surface and NOT directly on the falsies

If you try to squeeze out the glue directly on to the backbone of the falsie, you'll end up putting too much glue on. Gliding the backbone of the falsie along the glue allows for an even and minimal amount of application.

I like to put the glue on my knuckle b/c putting it on a surface makes it hard for me to run the curvy backbone along the glue w/o the ends getting in the way.

STEP 3: Let the glue dry on each falsie for a few seconds.

You want the glue to be tacky so that it won't slip around the moment you try to put it on, but it will still be wet enough that you can shift it if necessary.

STEP 4: Rest your elbows on the table for stability and, using both hands, hold the falsies above your lash line. Your curled lashes may get in the way, as well as the folds of your eyelid close to your lash line. Lay your mirror flat on the surface of the table so that you're looking down your nose into the mirror, causing you to lower your eyelids. This also works nicely for applying eyeliner and mascara.

The backbone should be as close to the lash line as possible without actually touching your own lashes. You'll be in for a world of pain and anguish if your falsies dry on your own lashes.

STEP 5: Starting with the inner end, gently tap the backbone into your eyelid, using a cotton swab, working your way outward. Some people prefer using a bobby pin over a cotton swab.

STEP 6: Open your eyes, look up and blink a few times to make sure the falsies are in place.

IT'S OKAY IF YOU DON'T GET IT THE FIRST TIME. Just take out the falsies. Start over from STEP 2. You DID make time for this as I advised, right?

STEP 7: Make sure your real lashes are well hidden.

Some people use their fingers to rub their lashes into the falsies. I get scared of my falsies falling off, so I use an eyebrow comb to tease them in. Using mascara is a last resort b/c I hate getting mascara on my falsies. If you're going to use mascara, please make it as unnoticeable as possible. False lashes were not meant to be touched up with mascara. That's like getting your acrylic nails done and then going home and putting on OPI over the acrylics.

STEP 8: DON'T TOUCH YOUR FALSIES FOR THE REST OF THE DAY

Keep a small tube of glue in your purse to reapply the glue if it does fall off. However, if you've trimmed your lashes and applied everything as I've detailed, you shouldn't have to worry about this happening.

Sorry if the length of this entry makes it seem all the more daunting. I COULD just tell you to trim the ends, apply a very thin layer of glue and then pop them on. However, I just wanted to be as careful and as detailed as possible so that you'd feel as if I were helping you every step of the way. Don't worry! Sooner than you expect, you'll be popping those things on in a matter of seconds.

Thanks for reading, guys! Feel free to leave any questions, comments, requests, donations, firstborns…

comin' achoo

2008-07-04T16:30:00.000-07:00

COMING SOON! TO A GOLDFISH CAKE BLOG NEAR YOU

The boyfriend has made me promise to do at least one cartoon a week. So, I guess you'll be seeing more of... this crap.

Happy Fireworks Day, everyone! I hope you guys have a great weekend. Thanks for showing Goldfish Cake so much love!!

Quick Reviews and 2 FOTDs

2008-07-03T17:02:00.000-07:00

My first OPIs. There was a barber shop near my work that sold a good selection of this brand. I wonder why I didn't think until now to question why they have a huge selection of OPI at a barber shop. It's sorcery, I tell you. The above colors are the "It" Color and That's Hot! Pink.

It wasn't until now I saw why this brand was so expensive, yet so popular. I've worn this for several days, with a top coat, and there has been no chipping nor any wearing off AT ALL. Also, I love the colors. The boyfriend thinks it's too early 90s but this is the same man who is trying to put an over-sized bean bag in the living room.

So, you guys are probably aware of my previous dilemma with sun screen. Well, I've finally made my decision and have settled on the singular:

Shiseido Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen EX SPF 50+ PA+++

I returned the other two, which were Lancome Bienfait Multi-Vital Cream SPF 30 Sunscreen and Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Face Cream SPF 55 PA+++ .

The reasons for returning these two and not the Anessa:
a) The Anessa was the only non-returnable item b/c it was purchased via Duty Free. The other two were purchased at Macy's.

b) The Shiseido Anessa is so watery, it comes with a built-in agitator (kind of like white-out - shake before use!). I was worried about it being so runny, but I've come to like it this way!! It feels so sheer and light that it's like it's not there. In comparison, all other sunscreens, even the Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Face Cream SPF 55 PA+++, feel too thick and goopy. The Anessa is even far less greasier, which is a huge deal, since the Ultimate Sun is well-known for being very non-greasy and great for acne-prone skin.

c) The dimethicone in the Anessa makes it a great primer. I would have a hard time getting mineral foundation powder on after applying Ultimate Sun, but with Anessa, mineral foundation powder went on evenly and smoothly.

I've finished organizing the photos for the false lashes tutorial and I've finished outlining and structuring the written tutorial itself. All I have to do is combine the pictures into the tutorial and upload the whole thing. There isn't much time, right now, and I don't want to rush it. Thank you so much for being so patient, guys!!

In the meantime, I leave you with 2 FOTDs. The first one was done on a whim after exposing myself to too many Japanese magazine pages with those ridiculously positioned false lashes. Hell, no, you won't see me going outside with this look on anytime soon, but I thought it'd be fun to try out. You guys should try it, too!

The second one was the look I wore to work when MY LIP GLOSS MELTED DOWN MY CHIN. I mean, SERIOUSLY?! Does that HAPPEN or does that just HAPPEN TO ME?! All beware, the curse of Alienman, also known as Murphy's Law, lawl.

I must confess that I had to digitally remove some blemishes because they were so distracting. Thanks for the understanding.

HOLY CRAP, I wish my face really were this clear :*(

HOLY CRAP, I look like I have a moose-stash in the first FOTD -__-

HOLY CRAP, I gotta stop saying HOLY CRAP

holy crap

2008-07-02T00:27:00.000-07:00

Double Agent Quality Transformation

2008-06-29T13:09:00.001-07:00

I was going to work on a new false lashes application tutorial but am unable to do anything w/my eyes for a while due to an allergic reaction to heavy usage of benzoyl peroxide. I had stopped using it for a while (cuz I ran out haha) and getting back on it came with a price. I'll have to give up on bp for a while and probably shift my testing to Top Gel after I've let my skin take an R&R from new products.

I had been really slacking on the whole work out thing with a million excuses to back me up. It turns out, however, all I had to do was start flipping through Japanese teen fashion magazines to get myself working out again.

Once I got back from the gym yesterday, I resumed going through July's issue of Cawaii, kindly provided in high quality zip here. There was one feature that caught my eye and I could NOT stop looking at it over and over again. I found the transformation of the model so dramatic that I just HAD to share it with you guys.

I don't speak a word of Japanese, nor can I read a single character, but the visual aid is awesome. Still, if anybody is willing to take the time to translate these, you'd forever be my object of love and affection.

Here's the before pic of the model.

She's obviously wearing SOME makeup and hazel contacts. I also have to say, she's rather cute!

Here are her two "after" looks:

Eh-whotttt??? (Imagine me saying that in the voice of the Professor from Futurama)

This is beyond a makeover. This is like putting on a disguise so that nobody could recognize you. This is the kind of makeovers that secret spy agents would undergo. This is SO FRICKEN COOL.

Not to say she's "prettier" now. She was always pretty, I think. I just love the fact that one could easily undergo so much change based on eye makeup technique.

Most of the emphasis goes on her false lashes. Everything else was applied with subtlety in natural tones so that the makeup wouldn't look so heavy. The choice, positioning and application of the falsies, though. Wow. In the left one, she actually uses three different false lashes. One for the bottom, of course, and two for the top.

For the top, she uses the full length of a spiky kind of falsie. Then, they chop off the outer end of a very full falsie, then overlap that outer end over the spiky full-length that's already applied on her eyelid. The bottom lashes (not shown above) is applied in the same way mentioned in my last post about Japanese looks; it's positioned a few notches below the actual lower lash line.

What, you thought I'd be all talk and no visual aid? Ho ho, don't worry, I uploaded the feature scans and you can click on the images below to view larger sizes and even download them. If you want the whole magazine, go here.

Talk about heavy duty. I don't know if I even want to consider doing this in this heaven-forbidden heat. I don't even want to put on ONE pair of falsies, cuz it's so damn melty. Yet, this looks like a LOT of fun to play around at home. I'm kind of hesitant about overlapping falsies (but I'll try this in the name of beauty blogging HA). I know someone who has gotten so addicted to false lashes that she now layers two at a time over her top eyelids. It looks kind of gross, especially since she wears mascara on them. Yick. This one doesn't look so bad, though. They're only using the very ends of the second one.

Click to view and/or download:

Your First False Lashes

2008-06-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

My mom brought me a stack of falsies from Korea, so I figured this might be a good time to write some tips on buying and applying false lashes for the first time. This post is for those who haven't tried false lashes before, or failed at them and are scared to try again, and simply want something that looks natural but still effective.

Where to buy

I get asked about my Missha Dolly Eyelashes a LOT. Unfortunately, I don't know how easy it is to acquire this particular brand in the U.S. I like the Missha brand b/c of the consistency of the glue the lashes come with and b/c they seem to last a bit longer than any other Korean brand I've tried.

However, all Korean brands share a universal system of how they categorize their lashes by appearance and length. I don't know the exact details, but if you like my Missha XN's, you can find XN's made by another Korean brand at your nearest Asian beauty provider. If you're like me and the nearest provider is over a hundred miles away, you have friends and family ship them to you with love and affection. If you end up getting some other brand and you don't like the glue, DUO is the best brand of eyelash glue out there.

As for the price, most Korean brands cost around 1500 or 2000 won, which is around $2 US. Brands like Missha and the Face Shop around around $3 or $4, if memory and currency calculation serves. In short, you should never have to pay more than the equivalent of 5 bucks for a pair of these lashes in Korea - and $5 is a LOT to pay for a pair of lashes. All beauty stores in Korea will have a selection of false lashes and beauty stores are ALL OVER the place.

I don't know what it is about the particular brand that makes me prefer it to others. I'm inclined to say it's the quality, but I haven't yet made an objective, well-researched comparison.

Echo was my first brand ever and I've also tried the Face Shop, Darkness and, of course, a few U.S. brands like Gypsy and Ardell. The only thing I'm sure of is that Missha's eyelash adhesives are always the right consistency. All Korean lashes come with adhesives, but they're not always up to par.

I do know for a fact that I definitely prefer Korean brands to most of what I find in the U.S. I love browsing Madame Madeline's selections, but it's mostly for especially dramatic lashes. Then again, I'm not being fair since I haven't given most of the Ardells a fair chance. A lot of the Invisibands actually look pretty decent.

What to buy

Firstly, my eye w/no false lashes for comparison. My natural lashes were curled w/the Shu Uemura eyelash curler.

For the first time shopper, I'd highly recommend anything categorized with an X and an S. These are the shorter, criss-crossed false lashes.

This is what you guys see me in most often.

Why criss-crosses?

See for yourself. My mom got me a huge box of these that I ended up reselling. They look okay but they didn't feel as effective as the criss-crossed ones. On the other hand, Arashi seems to wear the parallel kind just fine and manages to look great in them.

DGs probably look the most harmless in the package. I think that's why my mom got me these. They're actually not bad but I wouldn't wear these as often as my criss-crosses. I think it's def. more of one's personal taste.

Reluctant full face shot w/parallel DGs. I'm sad because sad girls are beautiful. j/k j/k wtf where did that come from.

I personally prefer the criss-crosses b/c they accentuate my eyes more and still look natural.

Korean brands label criss-crossed designs with the letter X.

This is one of the first ones I've ever tried and loved. It was pretty dramatic, but still looked natural. Right now, my stock is mostly XN, XL, XNS and XLS, plus some random curious purchases like feathers, carnivals, US brands and whatnot.

The S at the ends indicate that they're shorter versions. XNS is a shorter version of XN. For first time lash buyers, I would highly recommend something w/an X or an S. When I wear these, people don't even know I'm wearing false lashes, but my eyes still look more pronounced than if I weren't wearing any at all.

XLS or XNS (not sure which)

XL or XN - a lot of you girls seem to LOVE this one. It does look great but it's also WAAAAY more dramatic than it looks in the picture. These are a bit harder to get used to for girls w/short lashes who haven't tried false lashes before. They also feel more heavier, especially for first-timers.

AVOID:

(Again, this is for those who want natural and subtle falsies.)

Probably most of what you see in your local drugstore. You want tapering ends and alternating lengths, which many drugstores don't have. It's real painful to see people wearing those choppy-ended parallels with too much mascara on them and expecting anyone to believe for a minute that they're real. They're just too obvious and too unnatural. I also cringe whenever I see part of someone's falsies just gaping from her eyelid, like they're ready to fall off entirely.

Def. try to avoid getting mascara on your false lashes. I apply waterproof LashBlast to my own lashes after curling them b/c it's the only way to make the hold a curl. The false lashes don't need mascara. They look the way you want your real lashes to look, so applying mascara is kind of moot, if not counter-effective; w/mascara, they only end up looking messy.

Avoid lashes that appear to be the same length from beginning to end, like curtains. Natural-looking lashes offer variety in length.

Hopefully, I'll have a decenet falsie application tutorial. I'm pretty dissatisfied w/the last one I posted here.

Anyway, I hope this helped somebody out there.

Bday gifts and the Sunscreen Overload

2008-06-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

My family bought me skincare products for my birthday, knowing how much I've been into makeup and skincare lately.

My mom laughed at my dad and brother's "meager" collection of samples. After all, what do they know about buying items separately to double samples?

Purchased:
Lancome Primordiale Skin Recharge (visibly smoothing and renewing moisturizer SPF 15 )
awesome! I've been looking for a daytime moisturizer. let's hope this works out. of course, i'm starting off w/the sample ;)

Lancome Bienfait Multi-Vital SPF 30 (high potency daily moisturizing lotion - vitamin enriched)

Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion SPF 55 . PA+++ (whatever PA plus plus plus means)

Samples from left to right:

High Resolution Collaser-5x (intense collagen anti-wrinkle serum) for face and eyes

Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover
which is awesome since I'm still using that crappy Almay one cuz I'm too lazy to return it and too cheap to buy a new one

Primordiale Skin Recharge (visibly smoothing and renewing moisturizer SPF 15 )

in front of above two Definicils High Definition Mascara

Color Design Sensational Effects Eye Shadow Smooth Hold

Le Rouge Absolu - Mars

Hypnose Homme Eau de Toilette

So, here's the issue. I now have more SPF than I know what to do with.

I've been using the Neutrogena (far right) for my body b/c all Neutrogena sun creams break me the hell out and irritate my eyes.

I was due to run out of my current tube of Shiseido 55 and was going to use the Shiseido Anessa SPF 50+ . PA +++(gold box in left) that my dad had bought me from his layover in Japan.

I still haven't run out of my current tube of Shiseido 55 and suddenly, I'm gifted with another Shiseido 55 (blue box) and the moisturizer with SPF 30 (white box).

I guess I could keep it all but I'm worried about them losing potency. I thought about trying out all the ones I haven't tried, yet, just to compare and review, then maybe reselling them. However, that's a VERY new behavior to this creature of habit who's still used to only using one thing at a time and using it ALL THE WAY. That explains why I still use that crappy eye makeup remover, rather than replacing it w/a better one.

I guess I could just return them but, for some reason, I don't want to! At least, not before testing them! Haha, so I guess I'll be testing them out before I make any decisions.

**edit**

an anonymous reader was super kind enough to give a brief explanation regarding the PA+++ on the Shiseido SPFs

From k-popped's site:
UV A has a longer wave length and penetrates deep within the skin’s collagen and elastin layer and causes aging and fine lines.

PA - protects against UV A
PA+ minimum UV A protection
PA++ average UV A protection
PA+++ very high UV A protection

However, I'm still curious to know the difference between SPF and UV A??

Pictures from the Desert

2008-06-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

thanks for the bday wishes, guys!!!! i love you guys so much!

Sahali Falls. This is how the trip began. How lush, green and cool.

The desert begins. Fort Rock. It kind of looks like the Coliseum. It was all intriguing at first.

Got some great pictures of the rare golden eagles.

Afterwards, it was about 5 hours of this.

Our "Oasis". A little town called Riley.

The little gas station/convenience store had two small tables with board games in them. Through the window, you can see the post office.

2008-06-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

Yesh, yesh, it's my boifday. I never tell my friends, though, b/c I HATE knowing that I'm another year older. AGH! TWENTY-FRICKEN-EIGHT.

My mom, on the other hand, celebrates my birthday like it's Christmas. I honestly think she treats my birthday like a bigger day than even my brother's b-day. It's almost as if the day is more for her and, well, seeing as how fabulous I turned out, I simply can't hold it against her.

*braces for lightning strike

So, yea, we had a barbecue and went wine-tasting afterwards. Details and pictures to come. I don't know how many times I kept announcing, "I'm finally old enough to drink legally!" Each time, my cousin kept shooting me pitying looks.

In other news, I wanted to wish Ren-Ren a happy birthday. In the past year, she's worked really hard to establish herself as a makeup artist and I think it's safe to say that she's come a long way and built herself quite a portfolio. She's a true inspiration and role model to all the young ladies who are struggling to make something of themselves and I am just TOO PROUD of her to not give her a mention.

Ren-Ren, Happy Birthday, sweetie! I wish you the happiest 25 a girl could ever dream of. I also wish you lots of love, ice cream and pretty eyeshadows.

15% off Mario Badescu products

2008-06-24T09:26:00.001-07:00

Valid thru July 4th, use Promo Code 325527 to receive 15% off your purchase at mariobadescu.com

How I got lost in a desert.

2008-06-24T01:28:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to begin telling you guys about my past week. Okay, let's start with the part where I got lost in the middle of a flipping desert. I kid you not. Things like this could only happen to Alienman and happen, they did.

My parents have been eager to check out a restaurant in Bend, Oregon, that they heard was 200 years old. It didn't occur to me, until my bookish brother pointed it out on the day of the trip, that such a thing was near impossible as the Oregon Trail had not even been discovered at the time. Not that I would have realized it on my own; I'm a lover, not a historian. Okay, I gotta stop using my stupid "I'm a lover, not a [...]" lines esp when it doesn't work.

It turns out, the restaurant itself, the Pine Tavern, was built in 1936 and they built it around a tree that's 250 years old. As if the little historical gimmick and the awesome view of the lake wasn't enough to satisfy the diners, they had to make the food absolutely perfect. I never thought I'd ever say this about a restaurant, but I sure as hell wouldn't mind another 2 hr drive to and from Bend just to eat there again. Their oysters made me swoon.

After the meal, I thought we were just going to explore the town and then head back. My dad had other ideas. We were going to check out the nearby desert and see the sand dunes.

Never have I ever been interested in SAND and never will I ever be. It really didn't help that my family was completely unprepared for this trip. We didn't even know the proper directions, nor did my parents remember to bring the proper map. On top of that, my parents refuse to splurge on a navigation system. My dad gave me the name of the wrong town, so I gave them the wrong directions on the map, and we ended up going in circles out in the middle of nowhere.

Did you know that the desert highways of Eastern Oregon are almost completely lacking in signs? I mean, usually, when you go down a certain road, at least every few miles, it tells you where you are and what to expect up ahead. Not so with deserts. It's like a REQUIREMENT that you get COMPLETELY LOST there and end up vulture food, so they want to help you out as little as possible. Every angle you look, everything looked exactly the same. Desert vegetation, sand, and the lone highway.

I think the highlight of the trip was when I had no choice but to PEE BEHIND A FUCKING BUSH while angry shrubbery scraped at my naked calves and feet.

I seriously thought we were going to die. My mom kept insisting we stop by any of the random shacks we saw and ask for directions. The rest of the family, including myself, were not keen on this. If YOU were Asian and you were out in the middle of nowhere, wouldn't you be scared of being shot and buried in the desert by some racist desert hillbillies? Furthermore, let's not forget that Oregon is home to the longest standing Ku Klux Klan chapter.

Oh, and let's not forget the first sign of a 'town' we had seen after about 5 hrs of being out in the middle of HELL. We figured that we'd be in the town of Wagontire if we were going the right way. Sure enough, there was a sign that said, "Welcome to Wagontire". Immediately after the sign, there was a rundown shack that proclaimed itself to be a "cafe" but it was closed and seemed to have been so for about 30 years. Right by the shack was another sign, "Thank you for visiting!"

The entire area was miles of flatland and there were no other roads leading out of the highway. There could not have been any other sign of life in the area. THAT SHACK WAS THE WHOLE ENTIRE TOWN OF WAGONTIRE WTF. WTF?!

So, we were lost for a total of 6 hours in a place I now call HELL ON EARTH. Did I mention there was zero cell reception? Everytime I saw a junkyard, I said, "Our car's going to end up there soon... ." Yea, I was the Debbie Downer of this trip, but I was MAD and SCARED. I thought we were just checking out Bend, not some random desert out in the middle of HELL ON EARTH. Next thing I know, we're on the highway to our deaths, possibly shot by some toothless angry redneck who leaves us as carrion for vultures, and nobody would ever know of the great injustice.

Ironically, the town that my dad mistakenly guided me to is called Christmas Valley. Seriously, this had to be some kind of a sick joke. In the unlikely chance that someone ever mentions Christmas Valley, I'll scoff and say, "You mean HELL ON EARTH Valley!" It's even less funnier than naming some arctic land Greenland. It's just plain MEAN.

Pictures coming soon.

Faux-Japanese FOTD

2008-06-18T01:19:00.000-07:00

To motivate myself to lose the extra poundage, I've been checking out Japanese magazine scans on a regular basis. This is an incredibly great source for viewing Japanese magazine pages for free, although the demographic seems currently confined to teens and early-20s. I love the looks, though, both fashion-wise and makeup-wise.

After checking these out, I checked out some Korean magazine scans and found their style to be rather dull, too conservative and uninspiring. Also, because of the current "no makeup" look trend, there seems to be little inspiration for fun makeup looks. This might be an early onset of mid-life crisis and I might be like those old ladies who wear bright red leggings and halter tops *shudder

Then again, many of the Japanese eye looks are similar in that they're mostly nude-lipped and the eyes are framed with heavy HEAVY eyeliner and dramatic eyelashes. I'm sure circle lenses are now a standard in all Asian beauty promotional pieces.

I realize that there are varying trends amongst the young Japanese, but as far as makeup goes, there seems to be some techniques shared in common.

all images can be clicked for a larger view

I love it, though. I personally don't like heavy eyeliner, especially on the lower lash line, but I wanted to try this look out. I also wanted to see how I'd look in a tan because a)I HATE tanning but b) it's inevitable that I will acquire one, like it or not and c) if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

In order to make the eyes look bigger and more emphasized, not only did they apply heavy eyeliner, circle lenses and false lashes, but they would often make their waterline look bigger by applying eyeliner a few millimeters below the actual lash line. In my diagram below, the green is the actual waterline (filled with white eyeliner), the purple is the lash line, the blue is the fake waterline (also filled with white eyeliner) and the red is the fake lash line drawn with eyeliner. Some of the models wore falsies on the repositioned eyeliner to make it even more convincing. The above pic is a bit of an exaggeration

Up close, it's pretty obvious.

Full facial view.

It's pretty understated in comparison and I've decided I'm still too chicken to try circle lenses. I'm way too proud of my perfect vision and I don't want to ruin it. I'm always intrigued by the idea of wearing it, though. But I did brave myself for some heavy eyeliner application. Sorry it looks so yellow here, btw. Just trying out the tanned look for a test run.

Side view

Less flattering take:

Products Used:

Face:
primer: Biogem Bien Belle BB Cream
Silk Naturals foundation
Silk Naturals Mineral Glow in Angel on cheek bones and down bridge of nose (doesn't show in photo cuz i suck at taking shimmer photos)
Silk Naturals Blush in Orgasm

Eyes:
lids: Physician's Formula Baked Sugar Wet-Dry trio (all dry).
faux and real waterline: Rimmel Kohl white eyeliner
eyeliner: MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
inner lower lash line and inner corners: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Cottage Cheese
mascara: Cover Girl Lash Blast
false lashes: Missha Dolly Eyes XNS

Lips: Silk Naturals Kiss Bliss in Divine

Biogem Bien Belle BB Cream and Silk Naturals Haul

2008-06-17T23:56:00.000-07:00

Here's something I haven't done in a while, which is talking about makeup.

A couple of weeks ago, my mother brought me back a tube of Biogem Bien Belle BB Cream. Being my mother, she deemed it important to be as picky as possible and checked the colors of the products and their SPF factors. She finally settled on this one b/c its SPF was 45 and the sales lady insisted that this was "the best on the market and the most effective".

If you guys know me even remotely, you'd know I usually don't take the opinions of makeup vendors - particularly Korean ones - very seriously b/c I believe many will fluff the hell out of their most expensive ones to get you to buy it.

Still, I was up for trying something new, especially a new brand of BB Cream, so I was thrilled. I was also thrilled with its SPF properties. I HATE being tan. Some girls look like goddesses in tans and that includes many Asian women. Me? I look like I fell in a pile of soot.

Compared to the DermaRX Beblesh Balm, the Bien Belle (good beauty? wtf?) has better coverage, but is just as ashy. What makes this funny is that, when my mom told me about it over the phone, she was like, "This matches our skin tone better than all the others. The others were too yellow! We're not yellow!" She seems to think we're of a special breed of Koreans with pink-tinged porcelain skin. Apparently, I'm not special enough for Bien Belle. *wipes a tear

Covers my blemishes moderately well. I do believe this does cause some acne breakouts, but it hasn't been flaming cystic ones like those caused by Lioele and DermaRX. I'm going to keep using it for a few more weeks to see if it gets worse, or if my skin gets used to it. It's frighteningly pale on its own (doesn't look that way in the pic, tho) so I have to wear some Silk Naturals over it to balance it out.

SPEAKING OF WHICH!!! Guess what else I haven't done in a while? RAVE ABOUT SILK NATURALS HAHAHA

Yes, I'm hooked. I gotta have my WHITE POWDER on a regular basis or I'll DIE @_@ ZOMG DO I NEED REHAB?!

Seriously, the color stuff lasts forever. I haven't even finished the sample. The Ivory foundation, though, they should enable a bi-monthly subscription for this.

Okay, seriously? SERIOUSLY?! Didn't I already complain that they sent me a sample of Birthday Suit with my PURCHASE of Birthday Suit, which I found to a really bad color for me? Yet, the stars aligned just so that I was to receive ANOTHER sample of this. The icing on the cake would be if a Cherry Culture free lip gloss somehow got magically thrown in there. THEN, I'd have something to blog about.

I also ordered the Wet-Dry eyeshadow brush because I had heard rave reviews about it.

Oh, wait! Wait!!

My bad! It's a Wer-Dry brush. LAWL

More lippies!

Berry Crush seems darker than I had expected but it's still a gorgeous color. I noticed I didn't have a nude lip color, so I ordered the Kiss Bliss in Divine. I'm not used to a color so opaque and nude at the same time. It's also more pink than I had expected, but I don't entirely hate it. You'll see what I mean in my FOTD post.

I ordered vanilla-colored shimmer for my cheekbones and nose bridge. I figured all the SPF in the world could not help me if they couldn't help me years prior to this. Eventually, I will tan. So, I thought I'd make the best of it and start playing with some glow factor. Again, you'll see what I mean in my next post.

more mekkup deals (e.l.f. and origins)

2008-06-15T00:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if these will work for you guys b/c I get these through bzzagent.com, but I'm posting them here just in case.

Free Lipcolor and Free Shipping with $25 purchase. Code: BZZ

exp: 7/8/08

View Offer

Spend $15 receive a $5 gift card* & makeup set (gift card arrives in separate e-mail from order). Code: AMBAJAG exp: 7/29/08

View Offer

Origins


	Free Shipping + Deluxe Scrub Sample w/ order. Code: 06081BZZ	7/8/08	View Offer

Incidentally, I was browsing the e.l.f. website just now and came across this picture in one of its "get the look" page. Uh, what the de ja vu?? That looks EXACTLY like the girl in the Cherry Culture promo JUST TWO POSTS DOWN in this blog. Something tells me those e.l.f. products may NOT have been used to "get the look". -_-;

Then again, I'd have to be a half-wit to even believe that her make up is anything less than professional makeup artist supply, plus a lot of airbrushing and photo-rendering. I also love how Cherry Culture didn't deem her tattoo appropriate for their ad.

2008-06-14T22:58:00.000-07:00

Everyday, the desire to quit my job gets stronger. Oddly enough, I've been selling better than ever and have been at the top of the game. Still, when I'm at home, all I can think about is how much I dread going in to work. When I'm at work, I can't wait to be out of there.

I'm always so tired, depressed and light-headed. I always feel like I'm in the midst of chaos when I'm at the store.

I strongly suspect I have sleep apnea and that's why I'm tired all day, all the time. The boyfriend says that I stop breathing in my sleep and for a very long time, I emit a drawn-out rattle from my throat. He tries to wake me and move me, hoping to stimulate breath, but to no avail.

I think I should talk to my parents about sending me back to Korea for a couple of months to run a full body exam and see a specialist, too. The cost of flight tickets plus medical bills would probably be considerably cheaper than if I were to visit clinics here for everything that seems wrong with me.

I'm scared to leave the boyfriend for so long, though. I think I'll be fine, but I worry about leaving him all alone. He wouldn't like the idea for a minute.

The picture above is a glimpse of the Muse project in progress. I'm totally stuck on what to do about a background. I'm also kind of scared to get started on the sunflower. I've never painted one before and it looks harder than rhododendrons, especially the seeds.

Cherry Culture Summer Sale

2008-06-13T23:59:00.000-07:00

20% off all Kiehl's purchases!

2008-06-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

Click to view coupon up close.

Click to shop online.

And, of course, I'm shopping thru Ebates so I can get an additional 6% savings.

testing

2008-06-12T03:39:00.000-07:00

I got ousted

2008-06-09T00:10:00.000-07:00

When I heard the boyfriend come in from his hiking trip, I ran into a closet to hide. Since this closet is never closed, closing it would arouse suspicion, so I just had to hide in a corner and hope for the best.

AND I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN AWAY WITH IT, TOO, IF IT WEREN'T FOR A CERTAIN CAT.

See, the boyfriend actually came in, briefly peered into the closet but didn't see me, and went back out, calling out, "Snuggles? Where are you?? Snuggles?"

Right then, Bella crept in, stood in front of the closet door and then stared right at me in a most inquisitive way.

"Mew?"

I tried to motion her to shoo.

>:T *waving hand frantically, whispering, "shoo! shooo!"

"Mewwww~! Meeee-yowww~"

She started to whine at me.

The boyfriend came in.

"What? What is it girl?"

I stood as still as I could. O geez, maybe he won't see me even though the closet door is wide open and she's TOTALLY pointing me out!

"Awwww, you found her for me!"

We both burst into a fit of laughter, much amused by the fact that this cat had a keen interest in spoiling my game.

Friday is going to be my cheat day! That's when I'm going to binge on everything I crave. Sunday just doesn't make sense for me. FRIDAY is the day you want to go out, get drunk and enjoy lots of restaurant appetizers - yes, even if I tend to work almost every weekend.

I haven't worked out all weekend, so I absolutely must commit to getting my workout in tomorrow. It's probably going to be weight lifting, we'll see.

How are the rest of you guys doing on your body improvement programs? Haha, I hate calling it "diet and exercise". Those two words are as sweet to my ears as "poverty" and "death by a thousand cuts".

feeling REALLY lazy

2008-06-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

Rhoda by ~bemil302 on deviant ART

to lazy to even go cash my paycheck.

i was going to head downtown and check out the Last Friday Art Walk for inspiration

i let the clouds get to me

at least i got a painting done

not one of my better works, but it counts for something

2008-06-05T00:09:00.001-07:00

I was in line at Borders, during my break from work, for my usual latte and a guilt-ridden herb and cream cheese pretzel, when I couldn't help but overhear a girl behind me say to another, "...she's from Korea... and she's Christian... which is very rare over there..."

I tried to politely pretend I didn't hear this, but I just couldn't help myself and, next thing I know, I whirled around and pretty much told the girl that Christianity is the most commonly practiced religion in Korea right now. She politely thanked me but I'm sure she was more offended that some weird girl was rude enough to eavesdrop.

I don't even know why I'm mildly beating myself up for this, thinking, "What if she was talking about NORTH Korea?!" which I'm pretty sure she wasn't.

I don't even know why she would assume this, though. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but being who I am and having experienced what I have, I'm more inclined to assume that she was under some provincial misconception that Asians are all Buddhists or something. It has gotten easy for me to assume that everybody's somehow racist or racially discriminant.

So, yes, I ate that damned cream cheese-filled herb-crusted pretzel. In my defense, there was nothing else to eat and I was starving. Also, I went there with the intention of getting an iced tea but somehow forgot (I have the worst memory every. It's like I suffer frequent spells of short-term amnesia) and ordered the habitual latte instead, which is pretty dumb b/c I had wanted a cold, clean drink, not a thick, hot coffee, gotdangit!

I was pretty good for the rest of the day, though. I haven't been good about keeping a regular eating schedule, but I tried to keep it healthy and guilt-free. Also, I dragged my fat arse to the gym and damned near chained myself to that awful elliptical. It's the least effective of all cardio machines, but it was either that or the treadmill and, well, my version of hell is probably being stuck on a treadmill at high incline and impossible speed for the rest of my life with a huge vat of slugs and maggots waiting underneath for me to stop and fall off. It's either that or being stuck in perpetual air travel (not where the actual traveling happens but all I do for eternity is ride in a cramped economy class seat in the middle of a 5 seater, between two large people who bulge into my seat, and my only break is when I'm carting my luggage through a train of security checks).

Gawd, those workout machines bore the HELL out of me. I just STAND there and move my legs for half and hour and no great music in the world is going to keep me from wanting to lose my mind. Every minute seems like the longest minute ever. Sure, I could try reading or something, but that would only slow my pace and I'd probably cramp my eyes out from trying to focus on the small print. I'm going to look for some decent podcasts and audiobooks so I can stay occupied. In the meantime, This American Life has been awesome to listen to and I'd highly recommend it to any of you ladies. Thanks, Sunny, for introducing this to me :)

I appreciate the many girls who have told me that I don't look so bad but you haven't seen me as of late, lol. That's one of the reasons I've stopped posting pictures. I look even more like a kid b/c of the fat enveloping my jaws and chin. My BMI and fat percentage is also pretty unhealthy.

Anyway, if you girls have a Traineo account, feel free to link me :D Also, it seems like a lot of us beauty bloggers have decided to jump start on improving our physiques as well as our cosmetic routines. So, I thought we could motivate each other and that's why I have started the group 4B (Beauty Bloggers Body Bust) on Traineo. So far, the membership count is almost equal to the number of my blog readers HAR HAR HAR I hope you like my group image >:D

In any case, if there's one thing I refuse to do, it's counting calories. Food, to me, should NEVER be treated with such cold, clinical, scientific approach. For me, food is art and poetry and I simply cannot stand to see it as something to be dissected and measured by numbers. Okay, I'm being a bit too dramatic here, but gawd, don't EVER tell me to count calories kthx.

I can't sleep so...

2008-06-03T03:54:00.001-07:00

...what better way to deal with insomnia than to blog an umpteenth vow to lose weight and look great?

I'm literally scared to weigh myself now. For the first time in my life EVER, I have reached 130 lbs and have gone beyond. At 5'4, this is OBESE by Asians standards.

Last time I tried an online weight-loss program, it did almost nothing for me.

This time, though, I'm giving Traineo a try. If any of you want to join in on this, feel free to add me as a motivational buddy.

It's nearly 4 am and I'm tired as f#ck, but I don't want to make any excuses. I think I'll put in a half hour of cardio (probably something easy, like the elliptical or cycling) and probably pass out at work, har har.

I'll also have to stop stuffing my face with whatever I crave, seeing as how I only crave creamy, fried, fatty, greasy, cheesy, salty goodness... omg I'm hungers @_@

Fridays will be my "buffet-day" hehe.

For motivational stimuli, I will be sifting through pages and pages of Japanese magazine scans and probably that Angelababy's blog. That girl couldn't dress herself if it could cure cancer, but gawd, she's so pretty and I love how she does her makeup. Seriously, if I were that gorgeous, I, too, would have a blog cataloging my face at every phase and form.

I think my biggest problem is my lack of will power and motivation. If I could just get off my ass during my free time to do more than just sit on the computer or play games on the DS, I'd be burning a whole lot more calories. I'm scared of becoming that woman who never got off the toilet for 2 years. Oh, laugh on, you guys, but I'm totally being serious!!! >:T

I'm going to try to put in at least 30 hours of something a day, as far as working out goes. I don't know if it's realistic, but I do hope to lose at least ten pounds by the end of the month. I just can't bear to let myself look like this for any longer.

but first, I must finish this muffin

Rhododendrons

2008-06-02T23:46:00.000-07:00

Rhododendrons by ~bemil302 on deviant ART

just practicing

first visit to Planned Parenthood

2008-05-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

Oh, yea, I paid my first visit to Planned Parenthood yesterday. I had been getting my annuals from school through FPEP. If you girls aren't in the FPEP program and you don't have insurance, this is definitely worth looking into b/c this is what covers all your costs at your campus clinic or at your local Planned Parenthood. Just be sure to claim zero income.

Anyways, for you beauty blog addicts, you might compare the visit to the makeup counter...

except MU's don't ask you about your sex life and don't shove foreign objects up your *zomg* and take samples...

Okay, it's NOTHING like a visit to the makeup counter.

You do get a LOT of free stuff, though. Free birth control prescription? Check. Free Plan B? Check. Free bag of condoms? Check. Free handful of lubricant samples? Woo, check!

WE GONNA HAVE LOTSA SEX NOW!

Just kidding. I don't have sex. I don't believe in it. I only take birth control to prevent ovarian cancer, which my mother was once diagnosed with. Don't tell FPEP that! They won't cover you if you're not sexually active.

Just kidding. I do have sex. I can't not have it. My man is smokin' hot and I can't keep my grubby paws off him. Poor boy sometimes cries because he feels like a piece of meat that I objectify, but it's his damn fault for being such a hunk of hotness!

Just kidding. I'm not a sex-crazed maniac.

I'm not. I swear.

Whoa, okay, I think it's time for me to STOP BLOGGING!!!

I was intrigued at how easy everything was. I was pretty nervous about the whole thing, but you could tell they made everything as easy as possible for any girl who might be nervous about going in there. Everything was literally no sweat.

As soon as I left, I gave the boyfriend a call.

Me: "I'm just leaving Planned Parenthood."

Boyfriend: "Ooh, nice!"

Me: -_-;

Me: "Yeah, cuz, you know, I'm planning our parenthood."

Boyfriend: "... Or lack thereof!"

Me: ">:[!!!!! YOU DUN LOVE ME"

climate control from Wally's World

2008-05-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

It's been one of those really flukey weathers. This past couple of weeks, we've experienced drastic hikes up to 95 degrees and, in two days, it dropped to 45 and we could see our breaths misting out of us. It seems more normal now for May weather, which is great b/c we still haven't purchased an a/c.

Actually, we HAD purchased an air conditioner on the first day of such hot weather. The boyfriend was pretty anxious about picking one up asap b/c he recalled how his old roommate had waited til the last minute and there was only one left in the entire state of Oregon and he had to pay triple the retail price. So, we just found the cheapest one at Walmart. Why that was even our first stop, we couldn't tell you. Normally, I HATE shopping there. I always feel like Walmart promotes social decay or something.

I didn't think the a/c worked too well but I tried my best not to complain (meaning, I only complained like once.. or maybe twice.. *sheepish laugh*) because the boyfriend would get upset. I dunno... I think it's something to worry about when the evening outdoors is much more cooler than the maximum air conditioned indoors. Then again, the summer evenings here get dramatically cooler than the daytime.

I think the boyfriend was inclined to agree. Once the weather cooled down, the air conditioner was boxed up and taken back to Wally's World. There, we were told by the elderly gentleman greeter that we had to wait for him to ticket everybody else's returns first. Apparently, this Walmart had a policy where you had to get your items ticketed before you took it to customer service. It's sad to say that I'm pretty sure the poor old man was glad to have something to do other than just greet people at the door.

It was also incredible how random some of the other people's purchases were. For one thing, I noticed that they were all small enough to fit in pockets and along waistlines of pants, get my drift??

The boyfriend wasn't too thrilled about the whole waiting process. I think this is where we made the final graduation into absolute snobbery towards the stereotypes of the ghetto.

Boyfriend: "From now on we're not buying electronics here ever again! ONLY IN COSTCO FROM NOW ON!"

Me: "But the return was so much easier than you'd expected." He had worried that they might not take the a/c back

Boyfriend: "BUT WE HAD TO STAND IN THE WHITE TRASH LINE!!!"

When he spat out the words "white trash line" so bitterly, I couldn't stop myself and cracked up for a good 20 minutes.

To top it off, the boyfriend heatedly added, "Every one of those people stole something! Don't tell me otherwise!"

I don't know why that's so funny, but even as I recall it now, I laugh. Yea, it's probably not PC to publicly laugh at a certain subculture and call them "white trash" but you guys should have seen the people in the line and the stuff they brought in, too.

He's been really getting into his photography. Bella's a great model. She really seems to enjoy having her picture taken, even though she doesn't get to look at them.

"MOWR!"

quickie for soos

2008-05-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

for my buddy soos

who shares a fondness for thigh-high socks

Peppermints by ~bemil302 on deviant ART

Update on latest muse project.

2008-05-26T23:18:00.001-07:00

I really should do some practices with new textures and unfamiliar brushes on the side. I'll be attempting types of fabric and vegetation that I haven't attempted before. I HATE practice, though. I HATE taking long on something; I'm soooo impatient. I'd rather get it done in as few attempts as possible. That's part of the reason why I never complete anything. I get tired of them so fast and wish I could be done with.

Unfortunately, that's my attitude towards everything in general. I got sick of school and got so impatient that, rather than persevere, I just dropped out altogether. Of course, all that remains is the overwhelming regret that I would have accomplished so much by now if I had just stuck with even a handful of the projects and goals I had started on.

Finish something.

You've probably figured out who the "muse" is, but let's try not to get anybody embarrassed here, ho ho <3

when Corel Painter is glitchy

2008-05-24T23:06:00.000-07:00

Opened up Adobe Photoshop and just doodled around to keep practicing.

false angel by ~bemil302 on deviant ART

The face creeps me the hell out.

i'm not important enough to be covered

2008-05-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

I think it was on Tuesday when I started noticing a pain on my lower right rib. Every time I sneezed, it was a sharp shooting pain and I thought it might be something internal.

I think I'm a bit of a hypochondriac and those online diagnosis things do nothing to help. I also get pregnancy scares for three weeks out of every month (if u catch my drift) and I often consider giving the chastity-until-I'm-ready-to-support-family thing a go. I'm sure the latter has a LOT to do with being raised by a devout Catholic mother whose first lesson on the day I had my first period was that I could get pregnant just from thinking about a boy. Even though I've stopped going to church years ago, I can't denounce Catholicism and I honestly don't think I want to.

Back to being a hypochondriac. I have a tendency to assume the worst when something seems wrong. Not being able to see a doctor about it right away certainly makes the situation less calming.

Having lived most of my life in Korea, it still bewilders me that I can't just go around the corner from the house to visit a doc for every little symptom. It doesn't make sense to me that going to a clinic isn't as easy as walking to a convenience store. I still freshly recall the days when I woke up feeling a bit sick or if I had so much as a splinter or pink-eye, I could just go right around the corner to see a doctor without an appointment, not have to wait more than 10 minutes in the lobby and pay little more than 20 dollars for treatment and a prescription. The same could be said about dental, eyes and just about anything. This is something that is available to every single citizen of South Korea, not just someone who works somewhere that provides health coverage.

When the pain on the rib progressively got worse, though, I dreaded making an appointment with any clinic. It was impossible to get in touch with a free clinic, too. I've had a fungal infection on my pinky finger for months now and I had chosen to ignore it b/c I still remembered how it cost over $120 for my mother just to get medicine for her pink-eye.

The three hours of waiting at the so-called urgent care center doesn't piss me off as much as the fact that I KNEW that getting an x-ray would be of no help, but they'd probably end up charging me a paycheck or two for it. It was b/c I was in no position to diagnose myself that I didn't want to take even the smallest chance that there MIGHT be something wrong with my ribs that I acquiesced. Plus, the boyfriend refused to leave that horrible waiting room until he knew what was or wasn't wrong. It must have been awful for him to just sit there for several hours with nothing to do but flip through the most boring magazines anybody could ever put in a waiting room. See, this is why I should carry the Nintendo DS EVERYWHERE.

So, of course, the useless but horribly expensive x-ray did end up telling me, "Hey, there's nothing to see here but you still have to pay for the show!" and the only thing I can do about the muscle pain is to wait it out. O, but we did get a prescription for the pain and for my nail infection. I really don't need the Vicodin, so the hours at the clinic just to see my ribs... well, that was a total waste of time and money. What's sad is that my fingernail is probably the only thing that benefited out of this uninsured clinic visit.

It really doesn't help that my cat has taken to waking me up every morning by pouncing on my chest and walking all over the sore spot. Nor does it help that I have year-long allergies and I'm always sneezing, thus aggravating the pain further.

I'm not as grumpy as I probably sound here, but I did want to vent about the whole health insurance thing. I just can't believe how this country doesn't care to take care of its own.

New Muse

2008-05-23T01:22:00.000-07:00

Work in progress. I think I've finally found a muse and I hope the muse doesn't mind... especially since I haven't told this person that he/she would be my muse <.<;;;;;;;;

Speculations on who it might be are not discouraged but will not be answered, tee hee~*

What I'm most worried about is my lack of drive. I have a tendency to NOT finish what I've started. I give up for the smallest excuse and so many potential projects go unfinished after barely even being conceptualized.

It's kind of painful to look at the scraps in my dev.art and know that it's only a small portion of the plethora of works that were started but never finished.

I hope that this inspiration, stirred by the discovery of a new muse, does not die and that I stubbornly persevere. *Roar*

Winter Red

2008-05-20T23:43:00.001-07:00

Finally had the time to practice on Corel Painter. I seriously have no idea what I'm doing :(

Winter Red by ~bemil302 on deviant ART

411 on Bella

2008-05-15T16:45:00.001-07:00

A loooong while back, wuzzyangel tagged me but I figured I was way more important than my cat and I'd much rather talk about myself than about her. That's right. I was jealous of all the attention she gets while I only draw repulsed grimaces and shudders. J/k j/k

"This is a tag game for bloggers pets! You can only tag 1 blogger pet. This will be a great way to meet the pets in everyones family that has not had their spotlight..."

* What's your pet's name?

Bella

* How did your pet get that name?

She used to belong to a much older friend of mine. At the time, her name was Bennie, after some 80's singer Pat Benatar. The name didn't seem to suit her at all, as the cat was such a princessy diva and I wanted a name for her that reflected that. Also, her personality has seemed to warm up considerably since the change of names.

* What type of animal is your pet?

Uh... I think she's a medium-haired brown-gray tabby? My mother thinks she's half bobcat or lynx cuz she's so huge, solitary and vicious around strangers.

* What does your pet look like?

A brown-gray Garfield and just as fat T_T. Here's a pic of her w/Pooky Bear

She also has this droopy belly that makes people think she's preggers T_T

* How old is your pet?

Iono.. Seven? Eight? O gawd, I never did get her birth certificate. I've only had her for a couple of years. She was kind of thrust into my care.

* What is your pet's favorite hobby?

She likes to sit out on the porch and yap at the birds like a chihuahua. I once had a dream I adopted a baby monkey and it kept yapping like "ahng! ahng! ahng! ahngahngahng!" and I woke up to realize it was Bella barking at the birds outside. She also likes to doze off near mommy (that's me).

* What's your pet's favorite food/flavor?
Chicken and cheese. She LOOOOVES cheese. She also seems to have a thing for Wheat Thins.

* Name one trick you love that your pet does:
She gives great back massages. She's so fat that when she kneads, she applies a lot of weight on your back. She likes to walk on my back and just sit there and purr.

She also sometimes responds like a dog. I tell her it's bedtime and she follows me to bed. We also think she might understand the phrase, "on the bed!".

* Who is your pet drawn to the most in the household?
The balcony. It's her little paradise. ACTUALLY BEING outside kind of scares her, so this is like the perfect medium for her. When she somehow slips out the door (she's strictly an indoors cat) she's always crouching and looking paranoid. It's hilarious.

* One funny thing you caught your pet do:
Just one? Well, she's always got this guilty look on her face when I open the bathroom door and I see her w/her front paws in the sink. She looks at me, whines and then runs off. She also gets that look on her face and whines and runs inside when I catch her outside.

* One thing you find most annoying about your pet:
Her problems with intimacy. Granted, we've made a LOT of progress in our years together. For over a year, my hands were covered in scars that I thought would never go away. Now, she never scratches and actually loves being around company. I thought I'd go crazy and die of sheer happiness when she started sitting on my lap and just laying in front of me when I was in bed. I wish she were just a bit more comfortable with being near someone, though. She still hates being held.

* Anything special you want to share about your pet?

Bella has a Catster account.

bird photos and wtf nature is happenin

2008-05-15T15:55:00.001-07:00

With the departure of winter deadness, spring came to life and, well, a lot of the time you'd find me wondering, "wtf is up with all the leaves, flowers and animals and all that nonsense?!" Seriously, everything was so quiet and so dead until about 2 months ago and my biggest excitement was when I saw an entire family of raccoons chilling in our balcony and, later, when I saw the same raccoons wander from house to house in the dead of night as if they were trick-or-treating. Now, the place is literally BUSTLING with life. It's like I'm stuck in some Disney movie about some small scampering animals.

There are these big trees growing out of the neighbors' backyard that's right behind ours. Both trees lean towards our balcony and bedroom window, so I'm pretty sure we get a much better view of the blossoms than the neighbors do. Sucks to be them, having to prune and do all that lawn work while we sit back and enjoy their blooms and have someone else take care of our grass, har har.

So, for a few months, we got to enjoy these amazing cherry blossoms. One time, there was snow AND cherry blossoms. Then one day, I thought I heard a whole lot of "nature" nonsense going on outside and, sure enough, there was a bird doing mating calls. It'd do this for hours and for a week or so. I just assumed it didn't get lucky (mebbe it's a nerd-bird, HA) b/c I never recalled it getting a reply. At around the same time, I'd wake up every morning to some loud scampering sounds from the wall. I thought it was squirrels on the roof, at first, but it turned out to be birds building a nest. You can hear them from the bathroom. Every morning, Bella likes to go out there and bark at the birds.

Then, one day, a hummingbird decided to visit. I don't know about you guys, but we don't get to see a whole lot of hummingbirds, let alone take decent pictures of one. I wasn't able to get a decent picture myself, but I was happy to get a picture at all.

It looked like a little red bumblebee. It never came back afterwards, so I was def. glad to have a picture.

Eventually, all the blossoms wilted off, leaving a pile of dead petals on the balcony. The next tree over blossomed right after and, while it's not nearly as pretty, it's still nice to see one tree blooming after another.

This morning, I woke up to a lot of shrill screaming of hungry birds. It wasn't as pleasant as I'd expected it to be -_-

I came home from work to lounge on the balcony and I could see the open duct where the birds resided. I got pretty excited when I saw the little ones stick their heads out as they eagerly waited for their mother to return w/their food (yes, I get easily excited). I tried to get close pictures but a fast-moving momma bird is hard to capture and that hideous cover was in the way.

Even as I type and upload pictures, I can hear them screaming and chirping every time their mother flies over with a worm in her mouth.

WTH is taking so long? I've only been fed 80 times today. Am I not screaming and waking ppl up enough?

Here she comes! Ooh, it's a juicy one!

FEED ME BIOTCH

All right! All right! I'll get you more, sheeesh. You ungrateful twerps.

Yeah, and next time, bring us one with more pulp and squirm.

HAY GYZ WHATS GONG ON?! KEN I SEE TOOO?! 8B
ZoMg THERE IS SO MUCH POO AROUND ME

2008-05-12T06:48:00.001-07:00

Those gold boxes of ready-made curry squares are timeless in their awesomeness. Stir-fry some veggies, throw them in boiling water with some squares, wait for it to thicken and, voila, you have the most perfectly seasoned sauce for your rice. If you're like me, you always end up with enough leftovers to last several days.

We had that with some Trader Joe's Chardonnay and enjoyed them with reruns of Stargate Atlantis. I had ONE glass of wine and I'm up at 6 in the morning with a migraine. Whatev, I had an awesome day (minus going to work and losing my debit card AGAIN).

Sunday Morning: The boyfriend made coffee as usual and we went to Ross so I could pick up a few more things for the house. I'm seriously pacing myself with the household upgrade thing. Eventually, I'll have to start buying furniture and I'm dreading the cost. I'm glad the weather's getting better b/c that means GARAGE SALES. WHOOOOOT. I think I sounded like Oprah in my head just now '_';;;

Of course, I didn't forget it was Mother's Day. However, this almost coincides with Parents' Day in Korea, which is on May 8th. I purchased a necklace for my mother but she wanted me to hold on to it until she came back to the U.S. Over the weekend, the boyfriend and I took my dad bowling and we followed that up with gelato. Yermay~ See, we're too refined for just plain ice cream, mwa ha ha.

This year's Mother's Day is my first time gifting for ANY boyfriend ever. I figured, we've been together for nearly two years. I need to start keeping his dear mama in mind. Ebates offered a 5% cashback from Organic Bouquet and the Daily Candy had a 25% coupon code for the same store. I ordered a bouquet of Stargazer Lilies "from the both of us" and made sure it was delivered to her in time. I felt all "growed up" :D

I'm pretty stoked that I got quite a few of you guys to sign up on Ebates. You'll find yourselves making Ebates your first stop for all online purchases. In the last two months, I earned $13 in cashback. These were from purchases that I would have made regardless of whether or not I was getting cashback, such as face lotion on Sephora or a Mother's Day gift on any floral sites.

Oh, and I sat and did nothing as two of you made purchases and earned me ten extra buckaroos. It's like having silent minions mining for diamonds as I lazily sit back with a leery grin and tee pee my fingers together in a cunning, sly manner. Soon, you will all fall under my power... and probably do the same to your friends and acquaintances by having them sign up as well ;D

Omg, Ebates, you do not own me, why am I promoting you like I work for you.

Omg... I am the minion... NnnnnnNnnOooooOOOOoooOOOOoooooooo....

Cosmetic Updates

Eye Creams
The Lancome High Resolution Eye Cream was slightly irritating my lids and, on some days, even made them puffy. If that's what they meant when they said it fought wrinkles, I don't think I'm really into their battle tactics. After I started using loads of benzoyl peroxide, the dryness, irritation and flakiness around the eye area made it impossible for me to continue using the Lancome. That's pretty shitty considering my little bro shelled out $60 at the duty-free for this.
I switched to Clinique All About Eyes Rich and I'm so glad I did. It was so soothing on my poor itchy eyelids and my eyes have totally calmed down. No dryness, no puffiness, no nothing. I could be wrong, but I think some fine lines (caused by too much rubbing) have also disappeared. The cost is also far more reasonable. Remember to go through Ebates if you're going to buy this on Sephora! *bows to the temple of Ebates as I draw blood from my fingers and let it drip into a golden sacrificial urn

Eye Makeup Removers
If you want an eye makeup remover that actually removes eye makeup, then don't get this crap. Yea, you'd think it'd actually remove eye makeup, but it only rubs it around and leaves nice and shiny panda eye tattoos. I didn't know how good the Sonia Kashuk remover was until I ran out and bought THIS bottle of waste-of-money. I like how it neatly leaves all your mascara on -_-

Mascara
I was intrigued, but still skeptical about the awesome testimonies that Covergirl Lash Blast was getting. Still, I wanted so badly to find a drugstore mascara that worked. This mascara was actually pretty decent. I got the waterproof version and my lashes actually stayed curled all day. I don't know if I can say it lengthened remarkably but my lashes looked longer b/c they actually stayed up. I think it DID lengthen a wee bit, which is more than anything any other drugstore mascara has ever done for me. Still, it's no Diorshow, nor is it Imju. I'm liking this, but it certainly hasn't ended my search for the perfect mascara.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Fiddling around with Painter X

2008-05-09T23:17:00.000-07:00

Basically, the boyfriend has fixed up one of his computers so that it'd be at my full disposal and my laptop is portable once again. There was no excuse not to get crackin' and so I've started fiddling around with the brushes on Painter. It all seemed so daunting, at first, but I'm having fun.

Error Girl by ~bemil302 on deviant ART

Hopefully, I'll soon be making real stuff and not just practice scraps like this.

2008-05-09T00:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, you peepoz. You must think I got a whole lot of productivity going on in my life or something. Stop calling what I did "interior design" or "interior decorating". You do me far too much justice. Seriously, all I did was drape some discount fabric over the couch and get food bowls for the cat. I don't even clean the house. I'm seriously ashamed to get this straight with you good people. Enough, I say.

In my defense, I honestly suspect that vacuum cleaners disrupt my chi. Har har. Omg I hate vacuuming, though. It's so loud and so heavy and the dull constant vibrating does NOTHING for me.

I used my 30% discount at Borders to buy a manual for Corel Painter X. I've also decided I'm going to quit my retail job once and for all. I really don't want to end up doing the same thing somewhere else, but going back to school seems too daunting for now. In the meantime, I hope to get these creative gears turning again. Creative kicks have been too few and far between :/

Guess I won't be able to afford in any indulgences for a while, let alone that so-called "interior decorating" project, lol. Maybe I'll be able to sell paintings or something....

... to a blind gullible man with money to burn

T_T

Wow, what a lot of fun this blog has been!

-_-

Back from hiatus (i think)

2008-04-27T19:25:00.001-07:00

Whoa, man. If you guys only knew what I've been up to!

So many adventures!! So much I've come to learn and desire to share with you all! So many fascinating discoveries and revelations! Gawd, how will I fit it all into one blog entry?!?!

Yea, basically, the biggest reason I haven't blogged in so long is b/c OMG I HAVE NO LIFE. There is seriously NOTHING going on in my life that I find worth blogging about. How sad is that?

I am the one to blame. Adventure won't come knocking on my door, for goodness' sakes.

I don't have much to talk about in regards to cosmetics b/c I've been trying to spend more on upgrading the interior of the house, rather than the outward appearance of myself.

When I say it like that, it sounds like I'm going all out on adding shelving and painting the walls or something, but I've done little more than dress up the old couch with a new cover and some cushions. Oh, and Bella got a pair of new ceramic bowls. All this has been provided by the courtesy of Ross, har har. We're slowly putting this place together and I think it's safe to say, come winter '08, I should feel ready to host some brunches. I really need to start cleaning, though :/

I don't usually like to talk about the bigger goings-on in my life and I guess it's b/c I definitely find myself in a position that's far inferior and lacking in comparison to my aspirations. I've let the external and environmental factors get to me for far too long and have taken zero responsibility for my own life. As a result, picking up the pieces will take a while, but it's up to me and only me to hold myself accountable. I don't know what measures I can take to redeem what little my life and status have been reduced to, but I figured I'd start by reading some self-help books and also take control of what I can, little by little.

I probably won't be talking about my progresses here, though. It's not one of those things I like to talk about. The last thing I want is someone to feel like they have to be sympathetic. I already know you all send me your warmest and deepest wishes and regards, so there is no need to pull a sad face for me. I celebrate the community our blogs have brought together. I will be blogging again and I promise you there will be good content.

I'm sorry that I've had some of you guys worried for me. I have been lurking your blogs and the forums - just not commenting. I've meant to come back here much, much sooner. Thank you for being patient.

Top 5 Food Pleasures

2008-04-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

Was tagged by fellow cat-loving makeup hobbyist Peach, so now I have to list...

my Top 5 Food Pleasures

1. Super, super, super ultra dark chocolate. In fact, the darker, the better. If there were a 99%, I'd try it. I don't know when I became such a dark chocolate lover. I remember there was a time when I didn't care for dark chocolate at all and truly believed that milk chocolate was the only truly good kind. O gawd, just thinking about it makes my mouth water...

2. Illy's Latte
Gawd, this stuff makes me curl my toes. I think it's mainly b/c there isn't a place in Eugene that serves Illy; there are places that sell the roast, but I don't have an espresso machine and it isn't just coffee I want. I was more of a tea drinker but I was drinking a LOT of Illy's in Spain. I'd be tucking in 4 mugs a day and wanting more. When I came back to the States, I was already a coffee lover. Actually, I love a good latte period. I drink Seattle's Best the most b/c it's closest to work. Starbucks is pretty close, too, but I'm not much of a Starbucks fan :/ Well, what more would you expect from someone as pretentious, ho ho ho~ Just give me some time and I'll act all high and mighty about wine and coffee in no time.

3. Border's Seattle's Best Coffee's Herb and Cream Cheese Pretzel
You know those people who get their lattes fat-free sugar-free soy yadda yadda but then get a nice fatty cream cheese pastry? Yeap *raises hand*
Haha, actually, I drink non-fat b/c I don't like the taste of milk in my coffee. I grew up loving milk like a poet loves absinthe. Then, one day, I replaced milk with soymilk. Eventually, I started disliking the taste of dairy in my latte, but I didn't like soy in my latte, either. Skim-milk seems to work quite nicely, though.
O woops, I thought I was still on number 2. Queen of Digression does it again!
So, that was me desperately trying to validate my frequent indulgences in the Herb and Cream Cheese Pretzel with my Medium Skinny Latte. I think it's actually a Kim and Scott's pretzel. It tastes like a warm little twist of heaven. See how poetic I got just now? Yea.

4. Cafe Yumm/ Yumm Sauce
There's a restaurant franchise, called the Cafe Yumm, in Eugene that's best known for making these little bowls of (brown/jasmine/white) rice topped with veggies, sour cream and this amazing "secret ingredient" appropriately named the Yumm Sauce. It gets wildly addicting and I started buying these buy the liter bottles. I put the sauce in EVERYTHING. I dip chips, crackers and veggie sticks in it. I mix it in my rice. I'm so addicted to the stuff it's almost a disease.

5. I'm reserving this spot for EVERYTHING. I can't list just 5 when I love SOOOOO MANY different foods out there! OMG, are you kidding me? There's ravioli, tempura shrimp, cheese, bacon cheeseburgers, wine... I can't pick!! Don't torment me this way! It's like, what if I go to hell and they tell me to pick five things I'll eat for the rest of my life?!! Who started this tag?! Such evil!!!

Omg you people, leave me alone! I'm going to bed >:T

Has anyone NOT been tagged by now?

1. Liz
2. Anyone who hasn't been tagged -_-;
3. Read 2

cuz I can't sleep

2008-04-06T04:08:00.000-07:00

First, more photowhoring of Bella (boyfwen took this pic).

LOL!!! Omg, I just... ahahaha... xD

Gawd, she looks so funny.

O man, o... man ~~~ xDDDDDD

Hohohoho. I crack up every time I see this. Good gawd, Bella is a fattie. My poor dear, what have I turned you into?

Once more for kicks:

rofl...

o gawd... you poor cat

xD

LOL! Okay, I'll stop...

Coming soon:

My top 5 guilty junk food pleasures (how the hell am I going to choose --;)

Springtime purple EOTD using Everyday Minerals and Coastal Scents Eye Shadows

Replies to comments and a possible Q&A

Full frontal nudity*

*disclaimer: There is no full frontal nudity. This is an attempt to lure in more readers++ in the future. Omg don't hate me <3>

Testing out Silk Naturals Lipsticks

2008-04-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, I bought it for my mom, yes, but how does one show love any better than by testing out the lipsticks to make sure they're right for her? Hehehe.

You guys, I LOOOOOVE Vivacious! Check it out:

I also used SN Rapture just to contour the lower lip.

Face:
Testing out sample of Everyday Minerals Original Glo in Golden Fair. Right now, my skin hasn't been agreeing with any mineral powder foundations because it's been dried out by benzoyl peroxide.
Contoured jawline with Physician's Formula Bronzer
Blushes are Coastal Scents in Sheer Natural and Silk Naturals in Climax

Eyes:
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Cottage Cheese on brow bone
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha on entire lid
NYX Chrome Eye Shadow in Iced Mocha on inner and mid lid
NYX Eye Shadow in Sahara on inner lid
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack I started off lining my eyes with Almay in Brown but I decided I wanted something blacker and bolder
Rimmel Kohl Eye Pencil in Pure White on waterline
Covergirl Fantastic Lash and Imju Fiberwig Mascaras on lower lashes
Missha Dolly Eyelashes in XL

This one's for you guys!! MUUUUUUARRR!

hehehehe, my lips look so funny

...guys? you still there?

Everyday Minerals Haul

2008-04-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

Third and final part of my triple haul.

I also have a small Sephora haul on its way. Small in size but gawd the cost T_T I really needed a good hydrating eye cream, though.

Moving on...

Comparison photo of Everyday Minerals flat-top buffer, Coastal Scents deluxe buffer and Coastal Scents pink-handled buffer.

spillage... of what??

Everyday Minerals lip scrub. It says all over the description on the website that it's LOOSE, but I opened it up like it was just another tub of lip balm. I SO SMAHT :D

*cries while picking up bits from floor and rubbing it on my lips

jk, i vacuumed it up

I've already mentioned before that I never really liked their foundation powders. None of the colors matched and none of the formulas seemed to work. However, the sample kit IS free and I couldn't validate NOT adding it to the cart along w/my other purchases, especially since the sample kit comes with a blush. Seriously. WHY NOT?!

This is why I'm an idiot. This is my third time buying Light... EVEN THOUGH IT'S TOO YELLOW FOR ME. WHY DO I KEEP BUYING IT?! STOP FALLING FOR THE WEBSITE DESCRIPTION OVER AND OVER AGAIN, YOU MORON. THIS IS HOW YOU ACCIDENTALLY BOUGHT THE SN DARLING LIPPIE A SECOND TIME.

I thought Golden Fair would be too light. Surprisingly, it's not o.O

I didn't like their natural-colored concealer. I think I kind of like Mint, though. I'm surprised at how well it stays, even when I apply foundation afterwards. Too soon to tell, though!

Shimmery and a bit on the orange side. Not sure if I like it. Thanks for making me buy it, Arashi >:T Yea, she TOTALLY twisted my arm.

I'm kidding. I love you, Arashi. Please don't leave me, baby. I'll never hurt you again. You know how I feel, babe. C'mon, luv, let's not be this way...

Eye colors in Diary (left) and Snowflakes (right). Diary has a brighter and more goldish shimmer. The shimmer on Snowflakes is a bit duller and more on the silvery side. Otherwise, THEY'RE ALMOST TOO ALIKE. Unless you convince me otherwise, I'm probably going to hate myself for getting two colors that are so similar T_T

... but I do like them both o.O

Coastal Scents Haul

2008-04-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

So, here's part 2 of my triple haul.

Coastal Scents Haul

Bought some brushes. At first, I was only going to buy the buffer brush for my mom but I figured I'd need some extras myself. One of the reasons I'm always so reluctant to wash my face brushes is that they take too long to dry and I have no replacement brushes to use in the meantime.

Only one of these is for my mom 6_6;;;;; T_T

Sample of Sheer Natural Blush, Eyeliner Brush, Deluxe Buffer Brush, Pink Flat Top Bronzer Buffer Brush, Pink Duo Fiber Powder Stippler

And to your right, you are seeing my first stippling brush from CS. Sorry, it wasn't cleaned.

Pink's head a tad bit smaller.

Closeup of eyeliner brush.

Sheer Natural Blush Sample

They really packed this in the jar, but...

Well, it doesn't come with a sifter and this first happened because Bella decided the jar would be a mouse:

...and then my clumsy ass dropped it only a million times as I tried to put it away. So less than half the jar is left, which is a shame considering I really like this color.

Spring FOTDs

2008-04-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

Other than pinks and peaches, I've also been doing lilacs. I've also tried experimenting with gold shadows but I want it to be more favorable before I take pictures.

Face:
Silk Naturals Foundation
Silk Naturals Blush in Climax
Everyday Minerals in Sunday Brunch

Eyes:
NYX Eyeshadows in Spring Flower and Baby Pink
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Cottage Cheese (as you can see, this is another NYX favorite)
Coastal Scents Eyeshadow in Hi Violet
Imju Fiberwig Mascara + Covergirl Fantastic Lash Mascara
Prestige Eyeliner Pencil in Magnetic
Missha Dolly Eyelashes in XNS

It's weird, but I'm always forgetting to put on lip product until just before I head out the door. I used to forget mascara all the time, but I've gotten better about that. So, that might explain the recurring pattern of bare lips you see in my blog. Sorry, lol.

Face:
Silk Naturals Foundation
Silk Naturals Blush in Climax
Everyday Minerals in Sunday Brunch

Eyes:
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils in Cottage Cheese and Iced Mocha
Almay Liquid Eyeliner in Brown
Prestige Eyeliner Pencil in Black
Imju Fiberwig and Covergirl Fantastic Lash mascaras

I know, I get too carried away with the Imju. Maybe I'm just not satisfied with it; otherwise, maybe I wouldn't overdo it.

Silk Naturals Haul

2008-04-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

I figured I should probably divide my triple haul, as with the FOTDs I've racked up so far, for your viewing convenience.

My orders from Coastal Scents, Silk Naturals and Everyday Minerals came in yesterday.

Silk Naturals Haul

Placed some orders for a sample kit and lippies for my mother. I'm especially hoping she likes the lipsticks.

Included samples: lip gloss in Berry Nice/ blush in Sugar Plum

2 lipsticks (Rapture/Vivacious) and 2 lip glosses (Breathless/Darling)

As I've said before, Darling was an accidental purchase. I LOVE this color, but I already have it and I hate that I have two of the same product. The swatch above was done w/my first one, so the new one is untouched. If anybody wants to buy it for $5, feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment and we can arrange something. I'm also selling Birthday Suit, which was tested once, for $4.50. No additional charge for shipping.

Blush in Sugar Plum

"wucha doin?"

Earwax Snippet

2008-03-29T23:59:00.001-07:00

I almost forgot to mention this but I'm back here again because I'm that compelled to tell you about my most recent earwax digging experience.

Over the past few years, I've developed a rather gross habit of picking at my ears. When I'm standing or sitting around, being idle, I start digging my pinky nail into my ear canal or I start picking around the outer ear to see if the swab missed anything.

Today, though, I pulled my finger out and out came the biggest mass of earwax that had ever seen (visits to the ear,nose and throat doctor does not count; they use tools). It was longish and looked like the yellow tattered remains of a small scroll of parchment paper from Ancient Egypt. When I'm talking big, I'm talking longer than the diameter of a nickel - or probably so, since I didn't really go through the trouble of measuring it. Now that I think about it, I might as well have. I was half-repulsed and half-intrigued. Part of me wanted to put it in a glass case for safe keeping. Part of me never wanted to see it again. Eventually, the latter part of me won and in the garbage it went.

Two hours after this blog entry, there's a good chance that the repulsed side of me will be further stimulated when the curious side of me has me digging through the garbage so I might study the earwax one last time. I might even take pictures. Okay, gross, maybe not. Ew.

While my ear itself doesn't feel any different, there is that psychological reaction, that refreshed feeling one gets after having successfully cleaned out one's ear. I wish I could've been as successful with the other ear, but I'll take what I can get.

I miss the universal health care provided in South Korea. How often do Americans go to their doctors just to get their earwax cleaned out? I also miss paying around twelve bucks for dental checkups and fillings.

Sorry you had to read this. I just had to document this moment.

Q & A time

2008-03-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

Hey! I'm thinking of getting some BB cream. I know you have tried some but why don't you try the one from Skinfood? Its gotten really good reviews so far(:

Actually, I am considering Skinfood and Missha for my next two BB cream purchases. However, I don't plan on buying BB cream until my skin has completely healed.

When you used your Shu brush cleanser, do you dip the whole brush into the liquid? I was scared it might be too harsh on my brushes you see.. but i just wondered how you use it?

For smaller brushes, I pour about a cm of product into a plastic container and just swirl the brush around it a few times while making sure not to immerse the ferrule. Then, I wipe it off on a paper towel. Even after using a number of dirty brushes in the same fluid, you'll notice that they still wipe off clean. So, there's no need to change the cleaner fluid after each brush. I have accidentally let the ferrule touch the cleaner many times. However, the brushes have not yet suffered nor do they seem any less softer. They also dry a lot faster.

Larger brushes will absorb a large quantity of the cleaner before even benefiting from it. To thoroughly clean large brushes, you'll have to use a different cleaner or go with the timeless method involving shampoo and water. However, in between cleaning, the Shu cleaner is great as a wiping agent. Simply smear a few drops of the cleaner on to a folded paper towel and wipe your larger brushes on it.

I worried about such a strong agent being in contact with my sensitive skin, but it doesn't seem to be problematic. The strong acetone-or-alcohol smell can be worrying for those of you who are sensitive to smells.

Quick question about your silknatural kisser slickers. Are they supposed to be super super soft?? I ordered two: foreplay and birthday suit, but they are both EXTREMELY soft. When I turn them up and apply on lips it gets smashed down, the consistency like vaseline.
Is that normal??

I think so. If I had to complain about anything in regards to the Silk Natural Kisser Slickers (the lip gloss), it would be for two things. The first is its lack of lasting power; the product pretty much completely disappears within one to two hours and I have to constantly reapply. The second is that the product is very soft. For me, it's a bit firmer than Vaseline, but I still find that it breaks easily upon application.

could it be that the benzoyl peroxide made your skin sensitive so that you burn/tan more easily? i'm on antibiotics right now for my occasional acne and was told to stay out of the sun b/c my skin will be more sensitive and thus burn more easily. makes sense though? there is like zero sunlight here these days & the pharmacist still told me to watch out.

That's what I'm thinking and that's why I started wearing SPF 55 sun cream. The bizarre thing is, my face seemed unusually dark for just a couple of nights. Today, it seems normal again. What the hay is going on here @_@

whoa to the post on the top of your blog - hope everything is ok =T

Haha, sorry you guys had to read that. Yea, everything is okay. There haven't been any personal problems that would elicit that little "outburst". I'm sure some of you might recall someone commenting in my blog about how glad they were to meet me before leaving for the airport or something and they were linking a website they supposedly talked about. I'm sure you guys figured out this is just some spammer trying to lure in either me or one of you guys into their scams. That's what got me pissed.

I wanted your reading experience here to be as easy and as hassle-free as possible and that's why, even with so many other beauty bloggers being threatened by flamers and trollers, I still opted to eliminate as much security as possible for commenters. I was REALLY bummed out that I had to add that word-verification into commenting b/c I felt like this would discourage some of you from offering feedback. The damn thing isn't always easy to read, either. I mean, the letters j and i sometimes look exactly alike, wtf -_-

You're 'Shelbyville'?!?! Hahaha, I always knew you were posh! :P

Sure, if being "posh" means having no Nordstroms and the White House Black Market being the most upscale brand name in town. I actually had a dream that they were building a Nordstrom here in Eugene and I got all excited about it. I didn't know I could be such a material girl, haha! Actually, yes, yes, I am a material girl... because, well, you know... we live in.. a material world :|

Compared to Springfield, though... . Springfield makes Eugene look "posh", indeed.

I'm really digging the [faux-Arabic Look] e/s, would you do a breakdown, puhlease??

Wow, you guys actually liked the look! I'm very pleased to hear that.... that I have the power to make you guys like utter crap HAHA

I'm just kidding, guys. Please refrain from throwing those stones my way T_T

I'll see if I can recreate the look and document the steps. As of now, I can't quite remember all the products nor the order in which I used them. It mostly involves NYX eyeshadows in Rust, Copper, Bronze and Copper Pearl. I think I might have also tried Coastal Scents eyeshadow in Rose Sparks, but I'm not quite sure. I can also recall using the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Cottage Cheese for the browbone and brown eyeliner for the double-wings. I did the double wings b/c one of the anonymous readers had suggested I try several wings on each eye for a false lashes look. It's not something I'd try for a daytime look, but I'd probably experiment with it again for a dramatic evening look!

i use to use apple cidar vinegar and it worked, but it stung at times and it smells. i think i'm going to start using it again. please update =)

Yea, a week into using this, I still have a hard time getting used to the smell. Vinegar has always been one of my least favorite smells. It brings back unpleasant memories of how my mother would feed us a spoonful of vinegar-soaked beans each day. Fortunately, she eventually stopped when she saw how we all suffered from this daily dose of hell. Gawd, I can still taste the pungent sting of vinegar and the unpleasant grainy texture of the beans. Plus, they'd somehow react with the saliva and get gooier and gooier and I desperately wanted to swallow as fast as possible but my entire body was screaming "RAPE" and "REPEL" against this awful intrusion in my mouth.

My goodness, I feel I've opened up more here than a session with a therapist.

So, I'm glad to hear that the apple cider vinegar does work for you! I can't tell if it's working, lol; I've never been keen to notice if anything was GOOD for my skin (except for my green tea mask regimen, which I heartily recommend to all of you) but I know it's certainly not bad and it saved me around ten or so bucks on toner. I use a little Gladware lidded cup to keep the toner in b/c I didn't think to save the bottle from my last toner. It's one part vinegar and two parts water from the purifying pitcher. I added about 5 drops of tea tree oil on a whim, hoping it'd help with the smell. Um, no, it doesn't :D

I think I've answered all the questions I've missed. If not, please feel free to bring them to my attention again. I'm sorry I've been so horrible with responding to comments lately. I hope you guys don't think I'm ignoring them. I know this sounds incredibly cheesy - and I guess that works since I'm quite a cheeseball :D - but I really do appreciate every single feedback. I even appreciate you silent readers, so I hope to stay interesting for you guys!

Further updates:

2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide treatment per Dan Kern's routine:
It definitely seems to be working. My skin tone seems generally evened out, along with the texture, and I haven't experienced any new breakouts. The heavier discolorations (scarring) still remain clearly visible.

However, such heavy application twice a day definitely dries me up and my eye area seems the most affected. For the record, I do avoid the eye area when applying BP but my eyelids are still rough and a bit flaky since I've started the regimen. I'm going to stop using my Lancome High Resolution eye cream for a while because it only seems to irritate it more. I'll have to shop around for an eye area solution now. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

I've slightly lessened the amount of BP I use each time. Apart from the dryness, I'm not experiencing any other problems. When applying foundation (Silk Naturals) over primer (Monistat Chafing Relief Powder-Gel) it got rather flakey and chalky. It was as if my face wasn't producing any oil all day. Today, I omitted the primer and the foundation set in better. Whether it has anything to do with the primer is beyond me.

To soothe the dryness, yesterday, I added Vitamin World's Vitamin A creme to the routine. I hadn't used this in ages, mainly due to laziness. Today, I decided to start wearing my green tea mask again. The green tea always helps to soothe and strengthen the resilience of my skin. After several days of use, my skin literally feels healthier and firmer. If I weren't such an avid hater of routines, I'd probably have much healthier skin by now.

The Hair Stylist Issue

I swear. Fate, or something, is trying to keep me from seeing Sara T. Last time, I overslept and never made it to the appointment. Yesterday, I drove to the salon for my appt, only to be greeted by a note on the door apologizing to customers saying she was sick. If it weren't for her promise to discount another 20% off her already too-reasonable prices, I would've made an appt with someone else by now.

So, my hair is still as nasty as ever. Last night, I was so exasperated by my long, heavy mane with its awful long bangs, I wanted so badly to just chop it off with a pair of kitchen scissors. Argh!!!!!

Well, maybe I'll have figured out what style to go with by my next appointment T_T

Because, as aforementioned, one blog post per day apprently isn't enough

2008-03-27T23:17:00.001-07:00

EDIT
Aw crap, I always forget to tag afterwards. It seems almost everyone's been tagged already, too!

Cept you, Liz >:D

and Mary

Grrrrrrrrayburrrrrrrn!

Anna-banana, inspiration for my latest skin focus

and, of course, Emileeeee, b/c you don't post enough >:T

Wuzzyangel tagged me and it is now my turn to reveal:

ALIENMAN'S 5 BEAUTY CRIME CONFESSIONS

... as if we all don't know that I'm the least prim and immaculate of makeup experimenters. I mean, I seriously don't know which ones to pick and choose out of the many, many rules I break.

Wuzzyangel, if I haven't yet convinced you that we may be long lost twins, maybe some of the striking similarities in our lists might.

1. I can't even remember the last time I washed my makeup brushes. Rather than spend some quality time cleaning them, I ordered new brushes today. If that doesn't spell laziness, I don't know what does. Also, under normal circumstances, I wouldn't believe in paying even a dollar for a brush cleaner when you can get the job just as easily done with some shampoo and warm water. The key phrase, however, is "just as easily done". IMO, Shu Uemura's brush cleaner is totally worth it. I've already linked and gushed over it a million times, so I'll spare the details.

2. It wasn't until I started breaking out that I realized I should probably change the bedsheets and pillow covers. I used to do this at least once a week when I was living in an apartment that was furnished w/a washer and dryer. I fell out of the habit after moving in w/the boyfriend and having to go to the laundromat. We both hated it; as much as we did appreciate any quality time together, we wanted to make as few trips to Springfield as possible. By the way, this is the same Springfield that Matt Groening grew up in, thus the same Springfield that the Simpsons live in. My town of Eugene is supposedly "Shelbyville". In real life, the people we've come across there are not as friendly, albeit much more colorful*. Anyway, we only recently got a washer and dryer installed, so I hope to get into the habit of frequently changing the sheets and pillowcovers again. Anyway, I think this counts as a beauty crime; wouldn't you agree?

*i mean, scary

3. I think my last haircut was around the same time as Wuzzyangel's. I'm going to be glad to dock this off the list tomorrow, though. I've finally mustered the courage to reschedule w/Sara. I'll probably bring her some chocolates or something as a peace offering. Is it weird to do that w/your stylist? I've only visited her twice before :|

4. I pick at my blemishes T_T I squeeze whiteheads and blackheads, and I prod and poke red bumps until they ripen and turn into angry little cherries. Yes, I know it's bad! I can't seem to stop myself! It's no wonder I have such awful scarring! I have no one but myself to blame! I am ashamed!!!! *buries head in sand

5. I don't sleep until VERY late. Never before midnight and usually after 2am.

Since number 3 will soon be docked, I guess it's only fair to add a number 6. Also, I love hearing myself talk. In this case, I guess I'm loving reading myself write or something like that. In any case, I've just revealed to you, once again, what a narcissist I am. I hope you continue to love me for the warm, fuzzy, friendly corn on the cob that I am.

6. I often don't wash my face in the mornings. Usually, I get around to it around noon. Sheer laziness and a slight aversion to water contact on my skin which I can't quite explain. I've been more diligent about it since I started my anti-acne routine, but prior to this, I really didn't leave much of a reason for the man to give me love in the mornings, haha. Good thing I clubbed him good, huh? ;)

Dangnabbit I gone and splurged

2008-03-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

Bought some more brushes from Coastal Scents. I've also ordered a foundation sampler kit and some lippies from Silk Naturals for my mother. She's been extremely careful about the safety of food and vanity products because of her ovarian cancer. I gave her my Silk Naturals Kisser Slicker in Breathless, telling her it was made from all natural and safe ingredients. She was pretty excited about it, so I decided to order some more lippies for her. I'm not sure how she'll like the whole process of brushing on foundation - she'll probably find it a huge hassle - but there's no hurt in trying. If she decides she won't try it, I get away with extra foundation. I've also ordered the flat-top buffer from Everyday Minerals to compare with the Coastal Scents flat-top.

Thank heavens I'm getting paid tomorrow. I still need to stock up on some Shu Uemura brush cleaner. This stuff is AMAZING. There is like NO WORK involved in cleaning your brush if you use this.

I'm also taking this moment to shamelessly link my Ebates referral link (again!!), for those who still haven't signed up and want to start receiving some cashback for their Sephora purchases. Totally worth it. They're also boosting my referral reward if I refer 2 people by March 31st. You get a reward for signing up, too. So, do eeeet. Do eeeet.

I wish Silk Naturals and Coastal Scents had some deal with Ebates. Imagine how much I cashback I would have racked up by now. Thinking about it makes me dizzy.

Oh, yea. I was reading through descriptions of the lip glosses without even reading the names. AFTER I placed the order, I realized I had ordered Darling, which I already have. So, I'm going to have a lip gloss I won't be using for a long, long time. I'd much rather return it or sell it to one of you guys for the website price. Let me know if you're interested.

Now, on to more interesting things. HAH. As if.

Well, it's been... what, three? four??... days since I started my twice-daily 2.5% benzoyl peroxide ritual. My skin's definitely feeling a wee bit more sensitive, so I'll have to lessen the amount for a bit. It hasn't shown signs of irritation, except for maybe around my left eye, but one can't really say whether it's the benzoyl peroxide, fatigue or even seasonal allergies. Otherwise, the few blemishes I've had are clearing up nicely and the overal texture of my skin seems better.

HOWEVER!!! I swear to you guys, I think my face got DARKER. I mean, DARKER THAN MY NECK @_@ I hadn't even been out in the sun and my face wasn't feeling different or anything, but I looked like I had spent last week sitting around in the sun. I had hardly been outside and the one time I was outside without a hat on, I was wearing a hat or SPF 55 sun cream. Is bp known to do this? Man, I should take a pic and show you guys...

Some of you guys left some very detailed suggestions on how to treat breakouts and I'm going to make a note of these for future reference, in case I still get a blemish. Thank you SOOOO MUCH for taking the time to do that, guys! *Sigh* I really didn't want to resort to seeing a dermatologist, but you guys might be right. If, after a few months, I still don't feel happy about my skin, I'll *at least* schedule a consultation. It's not like the breakouts have been bad. Since I stopped using BB cream, it's been one or two, here or there.

It's the one or two that drive me crazy, though. I never get to see my face in blemish-free cleanliness. Also, that means there's ALWAYS long-lasting scarring as a result. Even if I get one blemish every other week, the scars last long, thus each one accumulates on top of the previous one... and that one cheek scar from last year is STILL THERE. I think it's turned into a "beauty mark" or something b/c it was in a place that's quite vulnerable to sunlight.

If I were queen of the world, splotchy faces would be deemed the most beautiful. And short legs.

With long torsos.

And fat cheeks T_T

Haha, okay, I know I'm sounding like a REAL Debbie Downer right now. At this point, you'll find it hard to believe, but the little flaws I complain about only bother me when I actually remember them. Most of the time, I'm actually pretty happy with how I look. If I was trying to make it in the fashion, beauty or showbiz industry, maybe I'd be a bit harder on myself, but there's nothing I'm looking forward to that would require me to be any better-looking.

Besides, I've made sure to club my man hard enough on the heads, before dragging him into my cave, so he always thinks I'm the hottest thing to roam this planet. Kayebee thinks it's my "big, round eyes" (which aren't that big but look so b/c the irises look big in the small eye openings) but I now reveal to you it's heavy clubbing. Not the dancing kind w/the top 40s remixed. I mean the wooden clubs unga-bunga style.

Good gawd, will I stop typing already...

Man, I really went all over the place with this entry, didn't I.

faux-Arabique Wino

2008-03-25T22:28:00.000-07:00

The weather was nothing less than amazing today, which made it perfect for a short drive to the countryside and some wine tasting with the family. My relationship with my family has been pretty rocky for a while, mainly because of my stubborn resentments and reluctance to trust them. This was addressed on one of my rare visits to see them yesterday and I've decided that the last chance I had given them last time would be my second to last chance. I guess I'd rather hate myself for giving them another last chance than hate myself for never have given them another one at all. It was obviously breaking my mother's heart to pieces that I refused to keep in touch with her and I can only play black sheep for so long at a time.

I still hate how they haven't been able to tell my relatives that I don't live with them, so whenever aunts and uncles, or cousins drop by, my mom frantically calls me and I have to go over there and pretend I live there. For crying out loud, I'm 28 this year; just tell them at least HALF the truth, that I chose not to live with them any longer. Well, at the least, it'll make a great anecdote someday. Even now, I can kind of see the humor in it.

In any case, while I was there, my mother mentioned she and my dad had gone out for a drive in the nearby countryside and seen a handful of wineries in the area. There wasn't a chance to make a stop then, but she seemed eager to give the King Estate Winery a try. Well, I wasn't up to anything, so this morning, we drove down to a part of my own city that I never even knew existed and we tried out the wines.

None of us are wine experts in the least. It's not like we couldn't tell the difference from a $20 bottle and something out of a box, but like all novices, we find whites easier on the palates than reds and it took us a few seconds to figure out what the dump bucket was for. Still, being able to examine and compare wines kind of opened our eyes (or rather, mouths and noses) to the different scents, textures and tastes. I felt so accomplished to recognize the differences and, for the rest of my life, I'll be telling people I have a hobby in wine tasting and act like I know shit.

My mom got drunk on two sips and was woozy until our lunch was served. This is always hilarious to watch because she just doesn't know what to do with herself. After we ate, though, it was she who wanted to explore one other winery in the area, for comparison.

This was actually a great idea because it led us to Chateau Lorane. The real estate was much smaller, remote and thus less obnoxious. I could understand my mom's sentiment when she remarked how "overly processed" and "commercialized" King Estate had seemed. On the other hand, the little dirt road to Chateau Lorane passed meadows riddled with deer that would flick large ears, which made my mom and me squeal (yes, this IS correct grammar; omg don't EVEN get me started on personal pronouns, verbs and prepositions). Also, there was a huge private lake tucked inside the woods by the wine tasting house.

All this is great, but the real deal-breaker was the fact that we got to sample way more wine than we had expected AND the bottles cost half the price of anything from King. Hurrah! We were most impressed by the Marechal Foch Port (pronounced "Marshall Foshe" not... how I obscenely mistook it haha). When tasted with nibbles of dark chocolate we were amazed at how the two flavor complemented each other. My parents and I are huge fans of dark chocolate and my dad absolutely relishes in nibbling a small square of it with tea.

Indeed, my parents purchased the port. My mother also bought me a bottle of their 2005 Pinot Gris to take home to the boyfriend. This, to me, is an immensely meaningful gesture. She's already verbally acknowledged that she had been narrow-minded about the boyfriend without even having met him. Now, she's grown to appreciate him as someone she'd want her own son to be more like. Yet, it was this bottle of wine told me that she acknowledged our relationship as more than some kiddie love.

Man, I do find symbolism in everything, don't I... . I think that's why small items always convey so much meaning in the short stories I write.

So, what I'm trying to get at is...

I FAILED GRACE'S ARABIC EYES CHALLENGE

It only looks half-decent close up. I don't have a full-faced pic b/c I only did the makeup on that eye. The rest of me looks like corn on the cob. I think we all know better than to ask me what I mean by that -_-

By the way, I don't know if you guys will take this as good or bad news - or any sort of news at all for that matter, but I've decided that the coming summer will make me want to wear as little makeup as possible. That means I'd want my skin to be in its best of condition by then and, as we all know, the skin o'my face has suffered a LOT this past winter.

Thus, I'm going to try to spend less money on makeup and concentrate more on just making my skin look better. This is day 2 of heavily slathering on the 2.5% benzoyl peroxide, as per Dan Kern's instructions, and it's been about a week since I've started using apple cider vinegar as skin toner. It's way too early to give you guys a verdict on either applications. My main concern about the benzoyl peroxide is NOT that it might not work. I don't know if I want to grow dependent on this stuff and be forced to keep using it until I'm forty-five. That's why I had stopped using it before, but my breakouts have been so bad lately, I feel I have no choice but to get back on it.

My eating habits have always been my worst weaknesses, so even though I'd like to say I'll be drinking more water and eating more produce, which I declare at the beginning of every month but never commit to, we'll just have to see. We'll just have to see :|

Thanks for reading another unnecessarily long post by yours truly and don't forget to feed your NintenDog. OMG THIS GAME IS AWESOME.

Ode to NYX Baby Pink, Cotton Candy, Spring Flower Eyeshadow Trio

2008-03-24T01:57:00.000-07:00

Yea, coming from Alienman, this will probably be good. That is "good", as in "laughs will ensue but we'll probably not find the content to be of much use... as always."

An anonymous commenter asked whether I liked my NYX eyeshadow trio of Baby Pink, Cotton Candy and Spring Flower. This was after she made fun of my cat's crazy eyes, then threw water in Bella's face and ran off with a cackle. Just kidding. That never happened. I'm making up lies because I'm trying to create some excitement here. This blog needs some drama! Where are my flamers?!?! My trollers?!?!

Omg I'm totally kidding pls don't let there be flamers and trollers in my blog... I've been fortunate enough to have evaded that problem thus far - I mainly accredit this to the fact that nobody seems to read this :| Yea, you're probably thinking, "what is she talking about? There are at least 10 different people commenting per entry". All those other commenters by "other people" that you've been reading? That's all me, commenting on my own blog. You think you're one of many readers, but in fact, YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE, AND I FOUND OUT WHO YOU ARE NOW SO PREPARE YOURSELF FOR A FRIENDLY VISIT. I'm also knitting you a scarf with my logo on it, seeing as how you're president of my fan club by default.

Okay, it's REALLY late at night and I can't sleep, so I'm doing the word-vomit thing. I also think I'm slightly drunk.

So, yes, dear Anonymous, to answer your question, I do love my NYX Baby Pink, Cotton Candy and Spring Flower trio.

to view more NYX swatches, pls visit NYX Swatches on ABB - The Collectors' Edition

Old EOTD using this trio:

shameless display of mascara clumpage ^^v

In fact, this is my favorite and most frequently used trio. I'm actually hoping that you hold on to yours because pinks and lilacs are going to be extremely useful for this spring and i like that you can play up the pink OR the lilac with this trio, depending on the combination and what other products you decide to use it with. For example, I used the palette with NYX Pink Oleander in my last FOTD. For a more lilac look, I'm using the palette with Coastal Scents Hi Violet. Photos of that will soon be posted.

I also like that the colors are more on the soft pastel side, thus not too bold. So, it's definitely a spring bouquet look, if that makes sense. No, I'm not making any sense b/c my brain is shutting down @_@ I think the sleepiness is finally kicking in. So, in any case, now that the weather's been warming up and the flowers have started blossoming, I'm using this trio more than ever.

You also mentioned that you heard about Lake Moss being muddy blacks. Arashi provided a swatch of Lake Moss and, yep, it does look all black in the picture @_@ She says, "This trio disappointed me. The colours are clearly different in the pan but they look black when swatched.”

Aaaand, I just realized you probably got your info from the same source -_-;; Ok, well, I'll leave it up here for anyone else who's curious.

So, thanks for tuning in, as usual. Also, I want to say Bella says thank you, but she's even more of a diva than I am and she just wants all of you to offer her goodies and then shoo before she rips your faces apart. T_T I wanted a CUDDLY kitty.

Guess who's missing out on Cherry Culture's March Madness??

2008-03-20T17:10:00.001-07:00

Tonight's the deadline for taking advantage of the coupon code and I'm cringing in my seat because I can't spend a damn penny in there.

I only use one credit card and I won't allow myself to use it for things other than emergencies, so it NEVER goes towards buying makeup. I won't let that happen even once because that will open a pathway to more and more "leniencies". Yes, little habits like these probably make you think I'm quite the penny-pincher, but it's just like my aversion to buying things that are similar. It's just a personality quirk and, otherwise, I'm HORRIBLE with saving my money. I am ALWAYS spending more than I earn. It's really, really tragic.

My debit card got EATEN UP BY THE ATM MACHINE at my bank. It was over the weekend and I just wanted to make a quick deposit. It released the card so that it barely even touched the slot and I could see it just hanging in there and taunting me, but I couldn't reach it.

I could have waited until the next day to get the bank people to fish it out, since the ATM had already ended the session, but instead, I freaked out and frantically called Wells Fargo and nearly chewed out the poor chap who did nothing worse than just try to help. Well, I would've been in a better mood if I wasn't shivering and wasting time in front of an ATM while being on hold for what felt like 10 minutes. If I wasn't going to have time for a coffee before going to work, then I had every right to be mad, right?

So, my card got deactivated and they promised to issue a new one. At the time, it seemed like the better thing to do in case the card that got stuck somehow fell into the wrong hands. It's weird, having used the same debit card for several years, only to suddenly have to part with it without even saying goodbye. Several days later, when I went to make a withdrawal, the teller told me they had found my card :| Not much good now. Oh, and they told me that ATM had eaten like 16 other people's cards, but they all waited to pick theirs up the next day. I've never felt like such a fool for being cautious.

So, I can't even make a debit card purchase. In fact, I've been writing checks at the DAMN GROCERY STORE like an old woman. I'm probably the only person under the age of 75 to do that. I'm one of those people who avoid cashier lines with old people or anyone using checks b/c those always take too long, now I was whooped in the ass by karma and I have to write checks just to buy green onions.

I try to be really speed-efficient, too. I have the check all filled out and write in my driver's licence info etc... so that, by the time the cashier's done ringing me up, I just need to write in the total. Still, she has to key a bunch of things into the register, scan the damn check through the machine... we even do that silent, awkward, finger-tapping thing as we wait for the register to clear the check and I'm just horribly conscious of the lengthening line behind me.

Maybe it's a good thing, or I'd be buying makeup like mad right now - and not just from Cherry Culture. Still, I can't help but feel really bummed about this and flip Cherry Culture the finger for not using PayPal. I mean, how often these guys do a decent deal like March Madness?? It's like NEVER.

Oh, and I've totally run out of toner, so instead of buying a new one, I thought I'd give apple cider vinegar a try. I now go to sleep smelling like chicken adobo. No, not really. Chicken adobo smells good. I smell NASTY. It's the same vinegar but I really don't smell appetizing. I tried adding a few drops of tea tree oil to the mix of one-part vinegar and two- part purified water, hoping it'd improve the smell, but I've made it worse. Way to go, Alienman.

random cat photos

2008-03-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

C'mon, Bella! We can't let Enzil hog the spotlight, can we?! Note: Some of these were taken by the bf.

"... but I'm so shy!"

Gawd, you're a fattie. Maybe we SHOULD keep you behind the curtains for a while. At least Enzil has a nice wardrobe. Bella doesn't even have a collar to her name. And wtf, do you have FOUR EARS in this pic???

Well, if there's anything you're good at, it's POOING ALL OVER THE BALCONY.

It's my fault, though, for accidentally locking you out so that you can't get to your litterbox. I'm such a bad mommy T_T Several times, I've accidentally left her out overnight. Oh, how she'd cry and run to mommy for love when the boyfriend finds her and opens the door for her in the morning. This is why I no longer let her out on the patio when I'm about to sleep.

This is Bella's chair. I'm serious. Nobody else sits here but her. It's not because we respect her space or anything - she's a cat, for crying out loud. It's cuz it's covered in inches of cat hair - plus, otherwise, I would have gotten rid of that hideous chair. In fact, I still want to get rid of it, but then the boyfriend counters with, "You want to get rid of the chair when Bella loves it so much?!"

Omg, we DO respect her space. OMG Is it healthy for us to HEED HER WISHES to the extend that we KEEP FURNITURE FOR HER?!

WHO OWNS WHOOOOO

But, the boyfriend does have a point. She likes to be near me wherever I am, even if she won't let me hug or hold her T_T So, whenever I'm in the studio, where her chair is, she sits here and keeps me company.

Here's what she really thinks of me. The little stinker. Maybe I should take away the chair, after all. Mooning me with all levels of indecency. I've never been so offended by a bunghole in my life.

I like that insane look in her eyes in this one. That's pretty much how she always looks b/c she's the most schizophrenic cat I've ever seen. What's hilarious is that, when she's freaking out or scared, her pupils get really big and perfectly round, so she actually looks sweeter than when she's calm and her pupils are the usual cat-slits. That's when people want to pet her, when she's all freaked out and ready to scratch you if you reach your hand out to her.

This is her "try and pet my luxuriously soft tummy (so I can rip your fingers off)" pose. There's that crazy look in her eyes again.

Anyways, spring is in the air and I've been doing a lot of pinks and peaches for my makeup.

I've also been going around with crazy-woman hair. It's only appropriate for a true crazy cat lady like myself -_-

18 months of...

2008-03-19T00:06:00.000-07:00

While many others celebrated Monday as St. Patrick's Day, my boyfriend shunned his Irish roots (not really shunned but I use the word with poetic license) and prioritized Monday as our 18th month anniversary. Every seventeenth of every month has always been an anniversary to him, but we didn't have the opportunity to celebrate our 1-year, so we wanted to make our year-and-half special.

His gift to me was the aforementioned bedroom set. Mine to him was the tickets to the Cirque du Soleil. Still, I wanted to show him how special this milestone was because I knew how much he'd appreciate it and I knew he deserved to know how much I appreciated him.

So, for lunch, I called him out of work and treated him to sushi. It wasn't until we sat down that I realized that this was the restaurant we had gone to on our very first date. Maybe that was why he kept giving me that silly grin. I swear, I hadn't even realized it when I suggested we eat there.

Anyhooz, afterwards, we went next-door for boba tea. I swear, every time I give that place a chance, I'm somehow disappointed. Last time, it was a very rude kid working there. This time, I SWEAR they mixed my drink with dishwashing detergent. I hardly go there and I feel like these people hate me for some reason. You know you're a narcissist when you think complete strangers are out to get you.

Still, I would not let this ruin my special day with my special man.

After dropping him off and coming home to tackle a very unwilling kitty, I thought I'd take a small nap before getting up to do some grocery shopping and making dinner for the first time in eons.

Unfortunately, I woke up AFTER the boyfriend came home from work :D Go figure. I'm the last person to trust to get things done on time. While he left for tennis practice, I rushed out to take care of some groceries and buy dessert at the Sweet Life, and came home to start cooking. Tonight's menu would be a first-timer: No-Crust Spinach Quiche. I had never made quiche in my life, but the recipe seemed easy enough. By the way, there's a reason I'm linking that patisserie. Check out the gorgeous cakes. I want to fake a wedding just to have one of their cakes. What? Am I digressing again?

Chicken butt.

...

In the midst of mixing the ingredients into a simmering saucepan, I was horrified to see that I was JUST ABOUT to dump in a very mistakenly purchased ingredient. I had grabbed a tub of sour cream thinking it was cottage cheese.

I nearly gave up. I nearly screamed and threw everything out the window in a fit. I nearly cried. Then, I realized the drama would be lost as there would be no audience to see me go diva over sour cream, so I made the determination that I WOULD make this damned quiche and I raced out the door, drove to the grocery store that happens to be conveniently just across the street from our place, and carefully selected the cottage cheese. I was back in time to see that I should have moved the saucepan after turning off the stove, but luckily, only a teeny bit of spinach was burned.

By the time the boyfriend was home, the quiche was baking nicely in the oven.

Much to my elation, the boyfriend was incredibly happy with dinner. The sparkling wine definitely helped.

BF: ^____________________^ wine makes me happy~

Me: Are you making fun of how I act when I drink wine?! >:T

BF: @_@!!!! NO I'M NOT OMG!!!!! *looks really hurt by comment*

Me: *finds his behavior so ridiculously cute and starts devouring the poor confused man kiss by kiss*

The boyfriend took some pictures of the food we enjoyed. Not shown below is the sparkling wine.

Some of you have made the GRAVE MISTAKE of asking to see a picture of the both of us. Naturally, I would post pictures that elicited vomits from girls in my forum. Have a bucket ready in front of you because this may not be for the weak of stomach.

These are only a small portion of the plethora of pictures taken on our picnic last summer. One of my forum members asked, "Who was the poor kid that had to take all the pictures?"

It was a TRIPOD, dammit! Now those girls like to make tripod jokes. Jealous creatures, HMPH!

By the way, spring is almost here, guys! Who's ready for a picnic?!

@_@

2008-03-15T00:21:00.001-07:00

Tonight, I'm blogging for the sake of blogging. When it comes to this point, I should just go to bed, but it's kind of like an addiction. I feel like I HAVE TO BRAWWWWWRG!!! NYAAAAR!!!! *snarling as I madly pound on keyboard

I have nothing to talk about tho '_' ...

O yea. I fell asleep after coming home from work and dreamed that one of my female coworkers had a penis and I was giving her a handjob.

Never have I so badly wanted a labotomy in my life.

I blame this on the boyfriend. He came home from work and announced, "Guess what today is?! It's March 14th! The male version of Valentine's Day! STEAK AND BJ DAY!! I'll make the STEAK! YOU make the BJ!!!"

Of course, he was just being silly, but when that's the last thing you encounter before taking a nap, NORMAL THINGS WILL NOT LEAVE AN IMPRESSION IN YOUR BRAIN.

Finding Security in a Strange Place

2008-03-13T01:27:00.000-07:00

Even though we lived together, I had always felt as if our lives could easily be divided up like two separate blocks, temporarily fitted together. He would insist that I made myself at home while I lived with him, but I always felt like this was a temporary arrangement.

He couldn't see why I had a hard time accepting this as a lifestyle b/c, well, he's a guy and has had no problems living like a single male college student - the only thing missing in the picture was vegetable crates to put a TV on. There was no furniture of my own. We're still putting this place together piece by piece, trying to be extremely frugal, but I really, really, needed decent storage space. I had a closet, but no dresser, and whatever I couldn't hang, I was fishing out of a shared plastic drawer or garbage bags.

It's not that he wasn't accommodating. He set up the other room to be my studio and is continuously working on it so that it has everything I need to explore my creativity. He never lets me worry about the bills, even though I've been running his heating bills up ridiculously high (the heat here comes from THE ROOF of all places... and he doesn't seem to get nearly as cold as most normal people do ). He pays soooooo much attention to me and treats me like a total princess and spoils me with his love in ways that it took me months to get used to. What man loves to just cuddle with his girl and rub noses with her as he gazes into her eyes with his own eyes that just literally GLIMMER with love? Isn't this stuff that we women make up in romance novels, that some men FAKE as a means of getting in our pants? Seriously, I waited months and months for him to finally become "just another guy" but, even now I'm surprised that this is who he really is in my presence.

Yet, it wasn't until this last weekend, when he had a dresser and bedside table w/matching mirror delivered to our home and set up in the bedroom, that I felt like I was finally at home here. All this time, he had been wanting so badly for me to feel like this place was mine as much as it was his.

What is it about the dresser??

Is it what the furnishing represents? The solidness of the wood plus the sense of security in the storage provided by the drawers? Is it this combined with the fact that he went out of his way to include such large installments just for me? I walk into the bedroom and I get so happy at the sight of this bedroom looking like OUR bedroom... not his that I'm taking over for now. Now, all I can think about is how I want to decorate the bedroom once my paycheck comes in. I'm thinking of wall decor, scented candles, drapery... omg, I was AFRAID to think about this stuff before.

The conversations have definitely been a huge factor in my sense of security. Some of us girls just NEED to hear the exact words in the exact order. I know that a lot of men will never understand it and they'll probably think they've already said all that needs to be said, but this is SUCH a huge deal and we're always so scared of the unsure and the unknown; if it isn't much trouble, the guy should just straight up tell her if he's thinking about marriage or not. Girls like me are extremely reluctant to bring these matters up, so you can only imagine just how freaked out and scared we are that we have to muster the courage to talk about it at all.

However, I can't help but feel that seeing the dresser and matching bedside table and mirror in the bedroom was a huge push into this feeling of stableness. Maybe I'm incredibly materialistic that way, or maybe things like this mean more than what we accredit them for.

because I only posted one entry today -_-

2008-03-12T14:08:00.001-07:00

Our resident Sexy-Frog Lurve tagged me and, hahaha, I'm finally jumping the tag-wagon again. Sorry if I annoyed you by ignoring some of your tags... I promise I'll get around to the ones I missed - and can still recall, like the "what's in my purse" one...

The truth is, I made several attempts to do a video version of that one but... PHEW! There's a reason I don't do video blogs. I'm just too hot for cameras, I tell you. They never do my true beauty any justice and the damn things are so jealous they try their best to make me fuglay~ Hmph. The crude little things! How dare they.

AAaaaand this is how I lost all readership. I think even my mom stopped reading.

Okay, okay, enough horsing around.

MY Top 5 Beauty Must-NOT Haves!

*drumroll* WHAT COULD THEY BEEE?!?! THE SUSPENSE IS KEEELING MEEEEE!!!!!!

Herbal Essences Shampoo - Not only have I always been offended by that obviously male-made commercial, but this stuff dried my hair up and gave me split ends like nothing else. Lurve says Pantene did such things to her hair, but for me, it was Pantene that SAVED my hair and restored it after the damages of Herbal Essences.
That crappy Cherry Culture lip gloss that comes free with any Cherry Culture purchase - THAT'S RIGHT! I'M NOT DONE TALKING ABOUT YOUUUU *shakes fist into high heavens* You SMELL like a preteen's Makeup for Barbie You Can Wear it, Too! crap and you're sticky and messy and just nasty!
This piece of crap. DO NOT BUY!!!!! MESSY MESSY MESSY and it doesn't apply well
Neutrogena Micro Dermabrasion System - This is the one product that has led to my boycott of Neutrogena products. It has made me break out in ways I had never broken out before. Huge, dark, round cystic acne all over the mouth and nose area, plus in places where I usually don't even break out. It made me want to crawl into a hole and die. Of course, my angry letter to the company did get ignored and, seeing as how this product never got recalled even though so many other reviews said the same thing that I did, I knew this company didn't give a crap about their consumers as long as they could keep fooling us into buying their shit. On top of that, none of their products have ever worked for me but they've always succeeded in smelling nasty. So, thank you, Neutrogena, for continuing to wear that ass on your head as a hat. Maybe that's why YOU didn't notice the smell.
Philosophy Hope in a Jar - Way overpriced, smells like burnt Barbie doll and makes me break out. HATE IT. Plus, I don't think putting cheesy quotes all over packaging qualifies as product design. So, up yours, too, Philosophy >:T

AAARGH! I yam sooo angsteeee!!!! Nyaaaargh!!!! Need something to calm me down... must.. go... molest... the cat...

oh, forgot to tag:

1. Nessa
2. Xuanie
3.Emilee
4.Mayaari
5.Arashi

Q&A Time plus an epilogue to my long thank you

2008-03-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to quickly post the answers to questions by some of the readers.

Looking sweet there. Im glad ur using more colors on ur cheeks now. It really makes ur skin glow.

I have a question about one of the products u used, Monistat Chafing Relief Powder. How do u use it and has it ever gave you any problems such as break outs? I never heard of anyone using it on their face before.

Thanks

Silent reader

T_T *SOB*

I have been using colors on my cheeks all this time, but they just don't show in the pictures T-T Guess I should have used low flash all this time. I'm glad you're glad, though :D You've encouraged me to be a bit more brave with cheek color x)

This is my second tube of Monistat Chafing Relief Powder-Gel now, but it will probably end up being my last for a while. I've noticed that I tend to get whiteheads around my nose when using this. So, I'm on the market for something noncomedogenic. I'm kind of bummed because this didn't seem to be such a problem until I was close to finishing with the first tube. I really don't like the idea of spending so much for a primer :/ Any suggestions?

alaine said...
i love this look! also like everyone else i really love the winged eyeliner especially the bottom. i was wondering what # LM secret camouflage concealer you use. TIA!

Garsh, thanks, Alaine *blushing profusely* :D

Lesseeee, the LM Secret Camo I'm using is SC-3 and, to be honest, I'm not too fond of this concealer at all :/ Even if I had the right shade, the texture wouldn't work for me - too dry and cakey.

You guys have been extremely sweet in your responses to my previous post, the long thank you. It'd take me forever to get into how each and every comment and e-mail warmed me over like fresh poo in the summertime (but much sweeter) so I'll just share my favorite of them all:

Vi Anne's "SUN"

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_\ /_
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/ _ _ \
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Hahaha, I'm just teasing, Vi Anne! I loved the randomness and cuteness of this and I had to share it. To understand the context, you'll have to read the comments in that entry. BTW, am I the only one who thinks she bears a resemblance to Adriana Lima?

MMMMMARCH MMMMADNESSSSS

2008-03-12T00:49:00.000-07:00

Cherry Culture, I've waited FOREVER for you to come around and hook me up with some sweet, savory deals. None of that "buy 20 times the makeup you need and tell yourself you're saving money just because you got free shipping and a nasty cold-medicine flavored lip gloss you don't ever use" crap.

When: March 10 - 20 (11:59PM EST)
What: Twenty-fricken-percent off everything in the store
Code: MMAD20

Pay Day is Friday and some of that stuff that's been rotting in my CherryCulture wishlist might actually make their way into my hands!

the long thank you

2008-03-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

Hey, hey, hey, readers!

You know what's really cool?

When I first started out this blog, I felt more like I was writing in a private diary and so there wasn't anybody to address.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, it's picked up a few regulars and it's a completely different feeling when I blog now. I actually have an audience to address and, somehow, that makes me glad I have this outlet.

I know I've said this before, but this wasn't meant to be an official beauty blog. Beauty would only be a small portion of what many thoughts, ideas and experiences I'd share. I always felt like I had so much to say, so much to share, so much to learn through interaction on the web. I was going to write about current events, my life experiences, encounters with racial discrimination and feminism, and even record events and milestones in my relationship with the boyfriend. I would post my own cartoons and artworks, so I could bring more traffic to my Deviant Art page. Most importantly, this would be an outlet for me to practice writing, because I wanted to hone my skills to become a magazine writer.

However, I had lost motivation to do little more than explore my more materialistic and vain side - the side of me that has every right to be explored and enjoyed, of course, but that has also come to overlap all other perspectives and priorities in this journal.

I accredit this mostly to my seasonal affective disorder (s.a.d. aka winter depression). Throughout most of the past few months, I've wanted to think about almost nothing and do almost nothing. Even getting up to do the dishes felt like a tremendous chore and I felt like my mind would easily wander to the darkest and least happiest corners, where only unhappy thoughts lingered.

I couldn't stand to perpetuate even an inkling of such unhappiness to anyone else, so makeup and an occasional anecdote was all I had to write about and all I wanted to think about.

Much to my surprise, however, having this sort of focus for this journal seems to have paid off and I'm getting at least 300 visits per day. I know, it's no big number, but that's 300 times bigger than what I had imagined this blog would be bringing in daily. On top of that, some of you actually think I'm funny! How about that now...

Where all this is leading to, you might wonder, and I'm not quite sure what it is I'm trying to get at. What is making me do all this talking today, though, is definitely gratefulness to you guys.

I really want to thank you guys for coming in here and encouraging me to keep blogging. I've posted so many cheesy mug shots here of my trying to look pretty and none of you had anything bad to say about that, so thank you. In spite of my limited makeup skills and experience, you've shown appreciation for my advancements thus far and have helped me to improve my skills since the day I started blogging my experience with cosmetics, so thank you. Sometimes, I didn't talk about makeup at all and you guys still seem to find what I have to say mildly interesting, so thank you.

Throughout my struggle with winter depression, I could have completely hidden myself, as I have from friends and family. However, interaction with the acquaintances I've made online have actually kept me feeling somewhat alive, so thank you.

I really just wanted to say, thanks for reading :)

Testing Out Some Coastal Scents: Rose Sparks Eye Shadow and Platinum Pencil Me In

2008-03-07T19:29:00.001-08:00

bleh

Face:

Primed with Monistat Chafing Relief Powder-Gel
Foundation - Silk Naturals 13 Ivory : 2 Buttery Gold
Concealer - Clinique Advanced Concealer (Medium) mixed with Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer palette
Cheeks - Physician's Formula Summer Eclipse Bronzer for jawline, Everyday Minerals Sunday Brunch Brush in hollows, Silk Naturals Climax on apples
Set with Silk Naturals Perfecting Powder (colorless)

Lips:

Silk Naturals Kisser Slicker in Darling
Coated over with the Balm - Plump Your Pucker.... some sort of cherry flavor and color w/shimmer

Eyes

Browbone - Physician's Formula Baked Sugar trio's pearly white
All over top lid - Physician's Formula Baked Sugar trio's light pearly peachy color
Outer corner and lash line - Coastal Scents Rose Sparks eye shadow with damp cotton swab
Highlighted lid with same Baked Sugar trio's peachy color but with a wet brush
Outer end of lower lash line - Prestige Eye pencil in Kiwi
Rest of lower lash line - Coastal Scents Platinum Pencil Me In
Mascaras - Cover Girl Fantastic Lash and Imju Fiberwig

Wanted to point out how I did the eyeliner(s) today for the upper lid. Today, I used a cotton swab and MAC Blacktrack Fluidline to tightline. Then I added only a tail at the very outer edge of the lash line using Almay brown liquid liner.

Sucks how my non-black eyeliners keep showing up black. Sorry about my awful photo-taking skills, guys.

Ready for work!

Thanks for tuning in :)

The verdict on the two Coastal Scents products:

Rose Sparks Eyeshadow

I've used this both wet and dry; for the latter, I brushed off as much excess as possible in case of fallout. Either way, I didn't end up with shimmer all over my face from the eyeshadow. I love the color and the amount of shimmer. It does lose some luster after an 8 hour shift of running around dressing up women at the store, but I still like how it looks even now.

I definitely would try more of their eyeshadows.

Platinum Pencil Me In

Neither of the eye pencils retained much of their initial crisp clean look - not that I expected it to when I had to work my butt off all day. Eye pencil on the lower lash line never fares as well as that on the upper lash line. The Pencil Me In smudged out, though there's still a smear of it left. Of course, the Prestige Kiwi also smudged out and blended into the Platinum. Luckily, I don't look like I have panda eyes... yet.

I'm still intrigued by all the skin-conditioning natural ingredients that the eye pencils comprise. I also like that all the colors come with their own lid sharpener. However, I don't think I need a sharpener for every single eye pencil and, therefore, I'd rather save a few bucks and shop locally for Prestige or Rimmel eye pencils.

I watched too many episodes of Las Vegas before I decided it was racist

2008-03-06T13:22:00.000-08:00

Probably since the day we started dating, I've been singing a song about how I wanted to visit Las Vegas b/c, even to this day, I have never been there. Everybody I know have been there and loved it. I wanted in on the experience, especially since Le Cirque du Soleil stopped coming to Portland and I'm not sure if I can go another year without catching a show. I've only seen Varekai but it was probably one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. I think it might even top my Europe trip.

The boyfriend isn't interested in crowded commercialized venues. Cities in the USA don't interest him unless they provide some sort of incredible outdoors experiences in the vicinities, like hiking. So, every time I sing, "LAS VEGAS!" he sings back, "Hawaii" (because he kind of grew up there and it's all nature-y and stuff).

Why I'm not all that interested in Hawaii: I don't do well in humidity. I suck at swimming. I love nature, but only from within a glass wall. Nature gives me the hives. I hate HATE HATE HATE tanning. I tan easily. There's no Cirque du Soleil in Hawaii. One time, he made the mistake of telling me about cockroaches the size of asteroids. I hate cockroaches. Asteroids are cool if they're still in space, not anywhere on this planet.

Then again, I would like to meet his mother one day. BUT THAT'S ANOTHER TIME.

Last week, for the gazillionth time, I got on his case for being so uninterested in going to the one regional place I wanted to visit the most. I just thought it was ridiculous and unrealistic for him to consider Paris an alternative b/c OMG OF COURSE I WANT TO GO BUT WE WON'T BE ABLE TO AFFORD IT UNTIL I'M 40. Does my retail job look like it's going to yield me a plane ticket and week's night in Europe anytime soon?!?!

"Fine," he said. "Just tell me what you want to do there, though. Neither of us like gambling. So, what else is there to do besides a few shows and cheap buffets?"

"... :D "

So, I'm thinking we should go on a 4-day cruise to Mexico.

**update** OMG I WAS WRONG. There IS a Cirque in Portland RIGHT FRICKEN NOW. I bought tickets for April 12th OMG OMG OMG I AM SO EXCITED AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

NymphoGreeniac is Scared to Call Sara

2008-03-03T21:54:00.000-08:00

Had just got home from the first workout in months and, instead of hopping in the shower right away, I thought I'd fool around with some makeup first. Sometimes, I get tempted to try out funky or dramatic new looks but there isn't much of an occasion to wear such looks to and there's also the deterring hassle of having to thoroughly cleanse it off afterwards.

Since I was going to wash off anyway, I thought I'd load up on the makeup and especially go crazy with the blush. Blush is always a tentative thing for me. I always feel clumsy with it and I'm always scared to look like a clown. This time, though, I'd go wild and have fun.

Sadly, it doesn't show as well in the photos :( Gosh, I wish colors showed up properly in photographs. The boyfriend encourages that I use his camera for such purposes but I'm reluctant to fiddle around with a camera so fancy and expensive just to take pictures of me messing about with makeup. Furthermore, I'm always scared of breaking his stuff and I try not to touch many of his electronics... except for the Nintendo DS.

I've been seeing a lot of green EOTDs by other beauty bloggers. I guess it's b/c St. Patrick's Day is in a couple of weeks or maybe I'm just noticing it more.

I also realized I hadn't done an EOTD w/my Ardell Just For Fun, Beautiful lashes.

Wearing Beautiful with Ardell Ultra Lash 207 bottoms:

A more accurate representation of the colors:

The shimmery green shadow is freshMinerals in Wondering. I contoured it with Prestige Ebony. I also used Coastal Scents Pencil Me In (Platinum) and Prestige Eye Pencils (Kiwi, Black).

The look (aka trying to look modelesque but making my jaw look ready to eat a man alive):

Yea, nice going, your fricken lower lashes are falling off, you dolt.

Friday was supposed to be my hair appointment but I woke up three minutes before the appointed time and my stupid phone was completely out of juice, so I couldn't even call Sara to tell her I couldn't make it. I really wanted to ask her to wait just fifteen minutes and I'd get over there all puffy-faced and uncleansed from sleep, but my phone hasn't been charger-friendly since my last snowboarding trip.

The only option I had was to message the boyfriend on Google Talk and ask him to call her for me. What he didn't tell me until last night was that she wanted me to call her to reschedule. Until then, I was so sure she'd hate me for blowing her off at the very last minute and costing her precious appointment time.

I've never been so scared of upsetting a hair stylist in my life. I must have deep and profound respect for this woman, or something.

Sara, if you ever read this, I hope you forgive me for missing that appointment and that you'd be willing to give me another chance. I can't stand the thought of looking for another stylist. I need you, Sara. I... I love you.

AND IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU, NOBODY CAN!

I'm just kidding. I'm not some psycho, I promise.

Another shameless consumer gush:

I had written a request that my last overstock dot com purchase be included in my Ebates account b/c it wasn't reflected in my cash back. To my surprise, they were really nice about it and credited me the $4 cash back for the $99 purchase. The boyfriend was like, "All this for four dollars??" The nerve of him to sneeze at $4!!!! That's two NYX eyeshadows, good sir! It's a medium-sized latte! It's 4 Red Bulls! It's more than half of Oregon's minimum hourly wage!

I really should make a habit of checking out Ebates before going directly to online stores. I didn't even recall until just now that, through Ebates, one can get 4% cash back from a Sephora.com purchase. I don't think I used Ebates for my last Sephora haul. Dangit!

But, seriously, guys, even if you don't use my Ebates referral link, look into rebate sites like this before going straight to sephora or other beauty sites. Every penny you save WILL add up, especially if you're a frequent online shopper and you'll be pretty happy with yourself when your cash back arrives in the mail or Paypal.

Hauls: Blogger Kit from Coastal Scents and my latest Silk Naturals purchase

2008-03-02T23:01:00.000-08:00

Friday:

After I took care of the cat litter down in the garage, I checked the mail and beheld 2 padded manila envelopes with my name on it. I was excited b/c I had been expecting my Silk Naturals haul to come in any day now. When I opened one of the envelopes, though, it was a completely unexpected pleasant surprise.

Steve and Kathy of Coastal Scents had sent in a nice little sample package for me to review here on goldfishcake at blogspot.

I'll do my best not to let getting freebies get in the way of my objectivity. That being said, Coastal Scents, I love you, I want your love child and you can do no wrong. It is in no relevance to this whatsoever that I randomly blurt out how much I'm dying for a nude lip gloss. I'm kidding. I have more pride and dignity than this. Snicker. No, I don't. Once my readership reaches the thousands, I'm going to become a total sellout. Good thing there are only about 3 of you reading this. Some of you sound suspiciously alike and I wonder if you're just my number one fan commenting under various pseudonyms. If that's the case, thanks a lot, Mom.

I'll test these out for a week or two and write up a review, so stay tuned if you're interested :D Also, if you have suggestions or requests on how I might apply these products, I'm all ears!

In the meantime, here's a rundown of the products. I'm really sorry about the poor lighting. I appear to live in a dungeon.

Pencil Me In Eye Accent Pencil in Platinum

What the website says: “pencil me in” eye accent eyeliner pencils are considered the new “green” cosmetic because all shades contain anti-oxidants and vitamins which help to protect the eye area from daily exposure to destructive elements.

“Pencil me in” cosmetics has added natural ingredients and blended botanicals like Green Tea Leaf Extract, Pine Bark Extract, Grape Seed Extract, Lecithin, Shea Butter, Cacao Butter, Jojoba Oil, Wheat germ oil, and Safflower seed oil. It also includes Vitamins A (Retinyl Palmitate), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), C (Ascorbic Acid), Vitamin D and Vitamin E (Tocopherol). Also included are mica, titanium dioxide, chromium green oxide, ultramarine blue oxide, iron oxides

I *just* compared this to my Rimmel Soft Kohl in Silver. Pencil Me In in Platinum is a darker silver and shows up bolder. It also draws on quite easily on the back of my hand, but the real test will be on the delicate soft skin around my eyes. I'm also digging the attached sharpener.

Hi Light Violet Shadow (sample)

Wow, this is a GORGEOUS sparkling color. The photo does it absolutely no justice. Right now, little stars are dancing around on the back of my hand as I type. In the yellow lighting of my room, it's a very light pinkish color and, while it is sheer, the color definitely shows up nicely.

Rose Sparks Shadow (sample)

The sparkles in this is even more prominent. Again, my poor camera and lighting fail to do this color justice. Normally, I only use shimmery, glittery highlights for subtle highlighting, but these colors make me want to try a ridiculous spaceman look, haha. So, I guess you'll have that to look forward to... *cricket, cricket*

Left: Rose Sparks, Right: Hi Light Violet

I couldn't wait to try the above shadows so I used it for last night's EOTN. It's not the perfect look, I know, and I'll have to keep experimenting. The color payoff is quite decent, though. As for its staying properties, I couldn't really tell you. My allergies have really been acting up and I've been sneezing all day, causing my eye pencil to smudge all over the place.

The lighting is severely dark and yellow here b/c it's the only way the products show true to color.

I'm actually thinking of buying higher wattage light bulbs for this room, just so I can take better makeup photos. Am I taking this blog a little too seriously?

Paradise Breeze Mica

I've never made my own makeup ever, so I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do w/a baggie of mica powder. At this rate, Steve and Karen might deem me unworthy of another blogger kit. So, I'm going to fake a review and say how awesome it was. Yes. Yes, I am kidding, people, sheeeesh.

Mica powder can be used for Lipsticks, Foundations, Rouges, Fiber Paint, Faux Paint, Coloring Candles, Coloring Soaps, Coloring Paint & Resin. Stampers use this in embossing cardstock and other heat set designs, add some mica powder to your clear, black or white embossing powders to create your own unique heat set colors. Glass Artists use this in fusing techniques and much more.

...and I still have no idea what I'm supposed to do with this :D To me, it's just another prospective eyeshadow but it's already so similar to my NYX Bronze eyeshadow and I don't like to carry too similar things b/c it makes me feel extravagant. Yes, I probably sound I prefer to live by humble means, but I assure you, I'm not all that humble. I'm downright gluttonous and suspect I live far beyond my means. Having two or more of something similar is kind of like a quirky pet peeve. Hmm, maybe I'll use it when I get back on doing watercolors. Welp, if you guys have any ideas on what I could do with this, or if you think you could put it to better use than I, then shoot me a comment or an e-mail. I hate quality products going to waste.

The lighting is severely dark and yellow here b/c it's the only way the products show true to color.

Speaking of waste, I know I should just chuck my BB creams but I just can't bring myself to do it T_T Maybe I'll give it to a hobo. OKAY OKAY THAT WILL NOT BE MY ANSWER TO EVERYTHING!!!!!!!

C154 Crescent Fluff

Yet, another beauty product that makes me feel like a beauty newb. No idea whatsoever on how to use this, but I'm intrigued. Good thing CS has a website to hold my hand and guide this lost wandering babe.
The unique shape offers a smooth application in one sweep over the lid. Try this: Dip & swirl each corner into a separate shade of mineral powder, sweep across lid for a flawless dual application, makeup artists love what this technique offers for their clients.

Hm... I don't know if my eyelids are shaped for this. Plus, I'm detecting a sweater-prickle when I touch this to my eyelid. I'm hoping this isn't a permanent bummer and that I'll find a use for this b/c I'm always excited about a new makeup brush.

Coconut Fragrance Oil

Coastal Scents is a great source for mineral makeup and inexpensive quality brushes, but they're also a great resource for those who wish to make their own makeup. That explains the mica and this fragrance oil, which, sadly, I don't have much use for. If you saw the clutter and mess at my home due to a lack in much needed storage furnishing, you'd understand that I can't be bothered to scatter a bunch of ingredients around to make my own makeup. Believe you me, browsing Coastal Scents' website has had me tempted to try on many occasions, especially their bath bomb kits.

I really should get off my ass to clean this place up -_-;

... but not before moving on to my Silk Naturals haul! I don't know about the rest of you, who use SN, but I seem to use up the Ivory foundation really fast. For every 2 scoops of Buttery Gold, I use 11 scoops of Ivory. This worked fine the last time, but it's darker than my neck again, so it'll probably be 13-15 scoops of Ivory now.

Also, due to the hideous scarring from my misadventures with BB creams, I tend to layer on a lot of Silk Naturals for coverage. I still have a LOT of Buttery Gold left, but I knew it'd be a good idea to buy a refill of Ivory pretty soon.

As if I'd get just the one, HA HA.

I had been looking for an excuse to try another one... or two... maybe three?... of their lip glosses because I loved Darling so much. As I've said before, I love that their lip glosses hydrate my lips and feel great. Darling was such a pretty color, too, and it showed quite nicely.

Kisser Slicker - Birthday Suit

It's probably hard to tell in this awful lighting, but this color is too dark and prune-ish for me. It looked so good on Mayaari; it's not fair T_T. The next time I do a "garage sale", this may end up in it.

Kisser Slicker - Breathless

O gawd, another favorite has been discovered. You might as well stop reading my blog now, folks. Silk Naturals can do no wrong for me. All objectivity is out the window. I love this color for an everyday nude lip. It seems rather similar to my natural lip color, but it livens it up and my lips look pretty :D

If there is one complaint (gasp!), it's that the Kisser Slickers seem to have minimal staying power and I find I need to frequently freshen up. It seems to disappear rather fast, like I have some chronic lip gloss eating habit... which I kind of do, but this particular brand seems to suffer the most from it.

Sheer Blush in Climax:
Sorry, guys. I tried to get some good pictures of this, but the lighting is soooo awful and, ever since the bf installed some speakers for me, I haven't had a single outlet to plug in my desk lamp. I'm planning on buying new light bulbs for the room and a multiple outlet strip.

This is supposed to be a good dupe of NARS Orgasm, but I couldn't tell you since I've never tried Orgasm. I love NARS' Rated R eyeshadow to death but the price makes me so reluctant to buy another item of theirs, not even their famous Orgasm blush. Still, it was that hype that got me intrigued enough to buying the dupe.

Whether or not it's a good dupe is unimportant so long as it's a great blush. My verdict? I love the dewy shimmer. The color, though, is a barely visible peach and, combined with the gold shimmer, it gives your cheeks a dewy but VERY subtle sun-kissed glow. It seems to match my skin tone really well, too. I had a hard time figuring out if my own cheek was slightly flushed or if it was the blush. I have a feeling it's going to be a favorite blush. I'll try to take nicely lighted photos soon! Thanks for putting up with this low-quality blog T-T

Enclosed samples of....

Kisser Slicker in Birthday Suit

-____________________________-;

Well, now, if I had known you'd be sending this sample in, I wouldn't have ordered the full size, especially since I find that the color doesn't suit me, after all. Doesn't feel like much of a bonus, now, does it? >:T

Vanilla eye color
I haven't tried any SN eye colors, nor was I planning on buying new eyeshadows for a while. With SN and CS sending me these gorgeous colors, though, my wallet might soon take a beating once again. Haven't tried the Vanilla so far, but I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks so much for reading this ridiculously long entry. Again, I'd appreciate any suggestions or requests on how I might use these new products.

Okay, I'm off to clean now. Afterwards, I'm going to lurk through your blogs like the good stalker I am.

Prestige Eyeliner in Azure

2008-03-01T08:50:00.000-08:00

I suddenly have TOO MUCH to blog about and not enough time. Stay tuned for my latest hauls!

The only eyeliner colors I had ever used was black or brown. It had never occurred to me that one could be adventurous with eyeliner colors and make it work. I guess I had internalized some made-up rule that black or brown eyeliner is the most effective for brown eyes.

My forum buddy Susan really knows how to rock the colored eyeliners, though. Her gorgeous EOTDs would make me ache to try colored eyeliners and eye pencils and, during my last trip to Rite Aid, I mustered the courage to buy some Prestige eyeliner and eye pencils.

I was still reluctant to try these anytime soon after purchase. See, I've grown up with the understanding that I have small eyes and, when I experiment with makeup, I tend to focus on making them look bigger. I was worried that colored eyeliner would make them look smaller, but sweet, sweet Mayaari reassured me that "the dark blue liner should look pretty good - i actually prefer it instead of using black (which can look too harsh) or brown (which is good for day looks, but blah for night looks)...it's a subtle pop of color and makes your eyes look whiter :) Deep purple liner works well too!"

I haven't found an opportunity to use the Kiwi color, yet, but I'm loving Magnetic (the purple) to pieces. I love how colored eye pencils bring vividness to your eyeshadow without the need to tranny-pack on the shadows.

I'm the queen of digression. I was supposed to be talking about the Azure Eyeliner and I'm rambling on and on about the Eye Pencils. I've actually succeeded in digressing even before starting the topic. How unjournalistic of me. That's like being asked, "What did you do today?" and replying with a list of all my favorite restaurants just to tell you guys I haven't left the house. Lame.

Oh, yea, we went bowling last night! Op! I'm digressing again, har har.

Here's that familiar eye again, this time with Azure:

Here's my favorite eyeshadow duo, the NARS Rated R. It's the only NARS I have because zomg I still have no idea what I was thinking spending 30+ buckaroo on eyeshadow!!!! That's not like me!! I could have had a nice seafood dinner PLUS dessert with that money.

Okay, I'm such a dork. I just realized, well, the makeup lasts a wee bit longer than dinner...

but garsh, I love food. I am the epitome of gluttony.

STOP DIGRESSING!!!! *whips self

*cries

*whips self again

*and cries at the same time

*whip whip whip

-_- omg I really shouldn't be blogging right now. I sound like an ass.

So, yea, I'm loving the azure eyeliner. My only beef is that I sometimes have to go over the same area more than once b/c it sometimes leaves a bare spot, as if part of it was wiped off w/a cotton swab, instead of a solid, even application. So, I have to start off with a heavily soaked brush tip, thus increasing the risk of accidental streaking, which is already high for someone w/bulgy monolids.

The color stays on all day, though, and I haven't experienced any flaking or chipping of any sort. I love how it brought out the blue of Rated R. I wore this look with EM Sunday Brunch blush and NYX Natural blush and the vivid blue seemed to give off a cool glow when I looked into the mirror from a distance.

2008-02-29T16:32:00.000-08:00

Would it be mean of me to pass this news along and make you guys spend more moola?
Would it be mean of me to hold out on this from you guys?

BTW, Lurve, I took a whiff of my Coastal Scents flat-top buffer brush and, you're right, it DOES have that wet dog smell when it's wet. It is definitely not pleasant. It doesn't seem to rub off on me, though. I'll have to ask the boyfriend, though, and see if he can smell it from me. If he says 'no' I'll continue to use it, lol. I'm no princess with the pea and I still love the texture and functionality of the brush. Fortunately, the angled buffer doesn't have that smell. Does anybody have any ideas on how I might get this smell out? Dip it in baking powder, perhaps? Dog shampoo??? @_@;;;

In honor of Leap Year we are running a special 20% off discount this weekend! Our already wholesale priced cosmetic brushes and leatherine cases are all on sale, yes, 20% off!

This sale is only good today, Friday, February 29th through Sunday midnight, March 2nd. There are no rebates on orders placed prior to this announcement or after March 2nd.

Happy Birthday all of you leap year babies!

20% OFF BRUSH SALE

Greetings from Naples

Kathy , Steve, & the crew at Coastal Scents

www.coastalscents.com

For the Silk Naturals Fans comme moi

2008-02-28T13:04:00.000-08:00

I love Silk Naturals so much that I literally get BUMMED OUT when I hear it doesn't work for some people or that some people even get break outs. I get bummed out because this product ended my lifelong journey for a foundation that was:
1. affordable
2. helped my skin heal b/c of its non-comodogenic and safe ingredients
3. matched my skin tone
4. never looked like heavy foundation even with heavily layered coverage
5. made my skin look GREAT
6. lasted all day w/zero to one blotting throughout the day

... and I was hoping this would end the pain of going through foundation disappointments for others, too.

So, for those of you who still haven't found the foundation that they're satisfied with, my heart goes out to you. I sincerely wish you the best.

For others who have become Silk Naturals fanatics or are thinking of placing orders at SN, you may or may not have read Karen's latest blog:

Friday is leap day! To celebrate "Leap Week" we're having a sale on samples- hoping that you'll make the leap to Silk Naturals. If you or any of your friends were thinking of giving us a try- this is the time!
Blush, Concealer or Perfecting Powder samples are now only $.75- and for this week only we're doing special sneak peek samples of our newest finishing powder- Love Lure- a tinted Perfecting Powder with a gorgeous golden brown glow. I was going to hold that one, but the response to my last blog post was pretty overwhelming- so I'm doing the sneak peak samples!
On top of that we're discounting the shipping on orders up to 3 ounces- it's just $2.00 for US and Canadian orders, and $3.25 for international orders.
AND we're including a special gift eye shadow and lipgloss samples with every order- plus coupons to share with your friends.
Because we've all been given an "extra" day- I'm using that time to get our forum up and running, and am hoping to launch it by Friday!
We really don't do sample sales very often- so this is really the time to give some things a try- and please tell all of your friends!

Heck, yea! Flat shipping! I've ordered my haul. Have you?

2008-02-26T15:04:00.000-08:00

one week of using DermaRX BB Cream and I already look like my face is disease-ridden. cystic acne all over my chin and lip, where I hate it MOST.

do I keep using or do I stop?

*edit* OMG I love you guys so much, haha. Okay, okay, I'm declaring full-stop on the DermaRx. Thanks for your concerned comments and for the love :)

we should go out for drinks looking like this

2008-02-26T00:19:00.001-08:00

The poor boyfriend seemed pretty upset that he had been walking around with a rather noticeable bare patch right above his neck. I felt pretty bad that I hadn't even noticed it until this evening, even though he had cut his hair many days ago. In my defense, I HAVE been working triple the hours that I've worked before and I'm always tired in between, plus it's hard to pay attention to the back of a guy's head when the front of it is so damn beautiful HAR HAR HAR

I trimmed it the best I could and I guess it's safe to say it looks much better, but he still seems to want to shave all his hair off. I'm thinking of applying some Imju Fiberwig to his neck hairs. Just kidding.

I had a rare day off today and I thought I'd entertain myself with my feather lashes. Although my friend B has had the pleasure of wearing them, I myself haven't used any of these on myself since the day I had received them.

I had done my makeup with the intention of wearing the black ones but they immediately tore apart when I tried to take them out of the box.

I'm planning on asking eEyelash for a reimbursement.

So, I went with what seemed like the second best choice.

2008-02-25T15:55:00.000-08:00

The boyfriend is asking me to trim his hair for him because:

"someone already mentioned i should sue whoever cut my hair"

which is HILARIOUS b/c he cut his own hair.

Desperate Want for New Hair

2008-02-24T00:09:00.001-08:00

When I was in Korea, I used to get my hair done every three months. Part of the reason was that it never cost me more than $70 for a cut, color AND perm. Part of the reason was that I wanted to be well-groomed. The biggest part of the reason was probably that I didn't want to be the only young lady in Korea with outgrown roots and frazzled ends.

Haircuts in the state of Oregon would always be a big risk because stylists never seemed to have a clue on how do deal with Asian hair. Even the Korean ladies seemed like they had started their salons with NO training whatsoever. I hear the situation's been heavily upgraded up on Portland but, guess what, I'm in Eugene now. I felt like I would have to sit around between annual trips to Korea for any hair adventures.

And then I met Sarah T of I Run with Scissors. A few people had given her outstanding recommendations on Eugene's local livejournal.com community and I had been long overdue for a haircut, so I thought I'd give her a try. Not only does she hook you up with all kinds of discounts - it's almost like she's just randomly making up discounts on the spot - but she really UNDERSTANDS my hair. She actually gave my hair the perfect shades of non-brassy but gorgeous browns and shaped my hair so flatteringly around my face.

Hmm... I don't think I have a picture of that first haircut anywhere because that was during my worst "I feel fat" period.

A lot of you have seen her latest work on me, though.

I haven't gone in for a haircut since, though. This is mainly b/c I have NO IDEA what to do and I still haven't been able to get back into the habit of going in for a regular trim. It's been way too long since my last cut and my roots have grown out way too long - it's quite repulsive really.

I'm tempted to just go in there and tell Sarah that she can have her way w/me but I'm scared! I usually go in w/a photo of a hair model from dubaljayu.com but I haven't found anything there that really grabs my attention. If anything DOES look intriguing, I can't tell if it's the hair I like or if it's because the model is pretty T_T

What do you guys think??

I've been thinking about this style, but is it too much like other styles I've already done? I don't care for the color, btw. I'll probably get my hair dyed a few lighter shades of brown.

Some hairstyles in the past 10 years in no particular order but wow I look so young and fresh in some pix T_T:

Another Q:
Is it just me or do I look almost suspiciously different in some of these photos? I used to have people who've known me from high school etc... ask me if I had any work done and I can kind of see why now -_-;

Dear Cherry Culture

2008-02-21T19:22:00.000-08:00

Tell you what. You promise me you WON'T send me that gawd-awful free lip gloss AGAIN and maybe, just maybe, I'll actually order something without even waiting for a better free shipping deal.

Thank you for your wonderful selection of NYX, by the way.

Kthxbyezomghi2ubyenowk11111!11

2008-02-20T00:12:00.001-08:00

Not much to talk about as I've been working my butt off at the store since the day I last blogged. I just wanted to inform those who purchased my Bare Minerals that they finally got shipped yesterday. See, I was going to take care of this on Friday but I actually went all the way to the post office only to find that I had forgotten my wallet at home. By then, the P.O. was due to close soon and it was shame on me for waiting til the last minute to go to the post office.

Today was another rare day off, so I took care of the orders. I want to apologize for any inconveniences the delay may have caused and, thank you, again for helping me with my clean out.

Woops. Happy Bday, Dad + Prestige Eye Pencils review

2008-02-15T21:48:00.000-08:00

I was too tired to do anything but sleep after I got home on V-day night. We were supposed to do something this evening, but at the last minute, I found it today was my father's birthday. Okay, yea, you guys are probably horrified that I don't keep track of my dad's birthday, but it's not so easy to do when it changes every year. This isn't so odd for Koreans because most of us keep track of our birthdays in accordance to the lunar calendar. My mother, my brother and I don't because my mother's family were a bit more "modern". That's what my mom says. She's often full of b.s. when it comes to her family, who can never do wrong. I love you, Mom, and I hope you never find this blog.

The family, plus one boyfriend, went to McGrath's, the seafood restaurant, because my dad really wanted crab legs. At first, the boyfriend wanted to opt out and he had an early dinner. My mom called to make sure he came, too, and so he had to come on a full stomach, har har. Like a good sport, though, he wolfed down his dinner.

Mom: to me You said he has a black hole in his stomach, but he didn't eat a lot.

Me: You know why? He didn't think he was coming, so he already had his dinner before coming here, but look! He finished his plate.

Cue riotous laughter

We didn't know if McGrath's celebrated birthdays and the bf secretly asked about it. For someone who really didn't want to come out that night, he was a really good sport about it.

As we tucked in our dinners, we saw that various tables were celebrating birthdays and the servers made the lucky ones wear this big hideous blue paper-mache fish hat as they were sung to.

Me: Gee, dad. Good thing you don't have to wear that awful hat.

Mom: Would you like to have them sing for us, too?

Dad: NO THANKS!! I don't want that hat! It's not for me!

A few moments later...

Mom: Oh, they're coming again. Another birthday!

Dad: O ho ho! Another one! Hey, make sure they bring the tea.

The servers stopped at our table and asked whose birthday it was. My dad was completely taken by surprise. He looked hilarious in that hat, by the way.

This night was pretty important for me, as all nights with him and the family are, because, when my parents first found out about the bf, they were extremely disapproving about him. It wasn't because there was anything to dislike about him. They didn't know anything about him. Simply, the fact that he isn't Korean and isn't a doctor/lawyer/Ph.D/dentist/son of a professor et cetera was enough to warrant dislike from them.

At this point, I can't even begin to detail all the factors and the ensuing drama between this time last year and now. I'm guessing some of you have a faint idea that there's been something going on between me and my family. In my perspective, my relationship with the boyfriend just got tangled up in a mess that already was and would eventually explode, but I'm sure they still think this relationship had an influence in my final determination to keep my distance from them.

In any case, they especially seem to have warmed up to him today. At the same time, the boyfriend, who didn't seem to care about establishing any sort of relationship with them, showed efforts in his attire and manners towards my parents and I felt like I could fall in love all over again.

Prestige Eye Pencil in Magnetic
I finally overcame my reluctance to try one of the colored eye pencils. I decided to give the Prestige Eye Pencil in Magnetic a try.

It seemed to draw on so easily on my hand and the color payoff was quite nice, too.

However, perhaps due to the skin around my eyes being so much more delicate and not as taut, it wasn't as easy to apply on my lash lines. This time, I applied the pencil liner before putting anything else on. No primer was used, but I did prep with concealer.

This was taken right after application. When it comes to taking pictures of makeup color, it's really hard to get it true to life.

Nine hours later, when I came home from work and tried to compare a photo taken then to the first one, I had a hard time with the lighting.

It's hard to tell by the pictures, sorry. As you can see, though, after a full night's shift, the eyeliner is still there and still visible. My face gets generally pretty oily throughout the day but my eyelids don't suffer as much, which might be why there's little eye makeup compromise except for some smudging on the lower lash line.

Whacha got planned for V-Day?

2008-02-12T23:19:00.000-08:00

If you guys are wondering why I'm not jumping the beauty-blogger bandwagon and posting a Valentine's Day FOTD tutorial, that's because I have been scheduled to work the closing shift that night, causing us to unhappily give up our reservation to another couple. So, all of you girls who are planning an evening out with your honeys can all go to hell.

I'm totally kidding. I love you guys. Kekeke. Honestly, two years ago, I would have been single and bitter about 2-14 and wearing a black veil muttering vile curses and oaths under my breath. Now that I'm on the OTHER SIDE, where I actually get to have someone with whom I get to spend V-Day, having to work that day isn't so bad. I still have a shapely-assed gorgeous man to come home to ;)

The false lashes, the NYX palette and the BB cream have been shipped out today.

There was an inquiry via e-mail regarding the expiration date on the BareMinerals. I thought I'd go ahead and publish the answer here.

It hadn't occurred to me to look for an expiration date and I commend the inquirer for playing it safe. However, I couldn't figure out whether the serial number printed on the side was an expiration date ( F60115??) and looking it up on Google only led me to the same answer.

Bare Escentuals asserts that their products do not expire, nor does their SPF as it is mineral and not chemical, and have ceased printing expiration dates after FDA approval.

Further questions and comments regarding this are more than welcomed :)

Hmm, what else?

Oh, I found out that a fellow Asian Beauty Blogger lives in the same neighborhood I went to elementary school in. Small world. I hope we continue to keep in touch :)

I also want to thank everyone who have expressed sympathy and condolences regarding the boyfriend's car theft. Later that day, they did find his car, but with the tires and about $600 of tennis gear gone. To top it off, the towing company were complete assholes and, not only caused further damage to his car, but made the whole ordeal as inefficient as possible so they could charge more.

It's one thing when you're being victimized by someone's malicious lack of consideration and pure greed. When you're the one who has to pay the deductible because you were victimized, though, it's just disgusting. IMO, the towing company are as crooked as the junkies who stole the car.

Okay, I'm sitting here trying to be all mad, but my cat is doing about 100 different stretching poses in a nearby armchair, it's ridiculous. She sometimes doesn't look like a real cat, but more like one of those over-stuffed plush toys or puppets and when she rolls around in one place like that, it makes me wonder if she was supposed to come with a remote control.

All righty~ Enough rambling! I'm totally talking out of my ass tonight, haha. Thanks for reading.

Alienman's Garage Sale

2008-02-10T20:12:00.000-08:00

At this point, for many of you who have been faithfully following my blog, it may not seem that I actually don't like to pick up makeup on a whim.

That's because I do. A HA HA HA HA! *slaps knee

No, but seriously, I don't think my makeup stash is as big as you might think. I have yet to feel the need for a train case - or maybe I'm in denial - and I do actually use almost every single product that I have in my stash.

Almost.

I do happen to have a few things that I've finally admitted I'll never ever use. I've kept them around thinking that I'll bring myself to use them in the future, but that wasn't very realistic of me.

If you guys are interested in purchasing any of the stuff here for the price listed, send me an e-mail to DJalienman at gmail dot com. No need to pay for shipping, I've considered that into the prices. I'm open to negotiations and trades if you can make me a decent offer.

BareMinerals - 2g / 0.6oz each
3 foundation powders in Fairly Light
1 Mineral Veil powders
Selling for $10 per jar, $15 for any combination of two (2 foundations or 1 foundation w/1mineral veil) SOLD

BB cream photos are from when I did my review on them. The tubes you see here are the ones I used. The ones for sale are brand new and have never been taken out of the boxes.

Skin79 DermaRX Beblesh Balm BB Cream $22

~~Lioele beyond the solution BB Cream $22~~ SOLD

Echo's Eyelash DG
7 pairs - brand new and unopened
$2.50 each or $4 for 2 SOLD

NYX eyeshadow trio in Nude/Taupe/Brown $2
Only the dark brown was tested and sanitized. The other colors are untouched.SOLD

HEY, FOLKS

2008-02-09T00:14:00.000-08:00

Not much to blog about regarding life or makeup.

This morning, my boyfriend kissed me and left for work, only to rush right back and wake me again in a devastated tone, "My car is gone."

I hate this fucked up town and its fucked up inhabitants who only think about taking every desperate measure to cater to their own addictions and their own greed, even if it means taking away things from others that they worked so hard to attain. I want to say I'll track them all down and make sure they regret their actions until the day they die but there's NOTHING I can do.

I really did think this neighborhood was safer, too, but it's only quieter. Eugene is Eugene is Eugene... and Eugene is filthy.

Enough ranting.

I started this entry with the intention of giving small updates on my search for the right cosmetic products.

Bio Oil
I've been using this twice a day since the day I bought it. So, what is that, like 5 days? So far, the only breakout was one blemish on my right cheek, positioned almost on the same exact latitude as the acne scar on my left cheek. I thought, "Great. Now my acne is symmetrical." Fortunately, after I drained it and treated it w/a dab of Proactiv Repairing Lotion, I haven't broken out since.

Proactiv
I don't use Proactiv for all my acne needs. I only use it when I'm feeling desperate, like when I woke up one day and saw that my new zit matched the scar on the other side of my nose . Otherwise, I like to avoid using it at all costs. I've been avoiding all products that were made to treat acne because I felt like they were only worsening the problem and that I was somehow becoming mentally dependent on them. Sure enough, my skin is actually showing improvement now that I've stopped focusing on finding acne treatment products.

BB Cream
I haven't used DermaRX very often because it was too pale and ashy especially when more than one layer was applied. Lioele had great coverage but it fails to deliver to the promises made about BB creams. Heal my skin? Improve it? No. Rather, it made me continue to break out. A lot at first, and then a little at a time - just enough that I'd NEVER have a blemish-free face. I used this for about two months before finally deciding that the acne was not a purge before a healing process, but just my skin hating the BB cream... like it hates just about anything I put on it :(

Silk Naturals
Yes, I know. I keep gushing over this stuff like I'm being paid to be their spokesperson or something. I assure you, the only time I've ever been contacted by Karen, the genius behind Silk Naturals, was when she assured me in a reply e-mail that I could use my coupon next time I made a purchase. She doesn't know me and she couldn't care less about this blog b/c she has no idea. So, why do I spend so much time pushing this foundation in your faces?

I've used many, many, many different brands of foundations, both high end and drugstore, looking for one that would match my skin, stay looking fresh and not lumped up or simply evaporated at the end of the day, and NOT break me out. Ideally, BB creams would be serving this purpose but, as you can see, I've yet to find one that works for me.

For the first time in my twenty-seven years of this tired, pathetic life, I've found a foundation that does all those. I finally have a foundation that matches my neck color AND looks natural all day long AND doesn't break me out AND is cheap. As if that wasn't too good to be true, I think it's also helping my skin heal faster because it doesn't clog my pores during the day and it contains nothing that would harm my skin. After BB Cream made me break out, I took a "break" and went back to Silk Naturals and IMMEDIATELY, breakouts had stopped and I started looking better.

Okay, wow, enough gushing about SN. Sorry to lay it on you so thick there.

I do realize that some others have experienced oiliness a few hours after application. For me, though, this is the only foundation that hasn't done this to me. I wish everyone the best of luck finding their perfect foundation because omg I know the pain and the difficulty. I don't know which is worse, finding the right pair of jeans that make your butt look great w/o breaking the bank, or finding the right foundation for an acne-prone combination-oily-dry-finnicky face.

I think I might have more updates to come, but I'm too tired to think of anymore.

and a little fuzzy from the Apricot Weizen, mmmmmmmm~

Monolid Rebellion EOTD: Tutorial

2008-02-05T18:33:00.000-08:00

Someone had found my very first entry on ABB and had requested a tutorial for the look. Thank you for the request, Lovelixir. I haven't done this look in a long time and probably changed a few steps, but I hope you like this! If not, please lie and tell me you did T_T Haha, j/k, j/k. If there's anything you think should be done differently, though, go for it :D And remember to let me know what adjustments you made!

The picture in that old entry is blurry but you can still tell there's a clear distinction between my bare eye and my made-up eye.

Basically, I'm going to show you how I go from this:

To this:

Ah, yes, there is my naked eye again. Hello, there, Eye. You're looking a little tired today. Long day at work? No? Too much Sonic DS? HO ho ho~

Apply highlight on brow bone. Here, I used the white from my Physician's Formula Baked Collection Baked Sugar trio.

Next up! Prestige Eyeshadow in Ebony. ChristianaDivine asked me how I liked Prestige eyeshadows and, to be honest, I don't like how it blends. Depending on the brush you use, the color payoff can be great, but with colors like this black one, it's hard for me to get even coverage, so I have to blend like crazy.

So, like an eyeliner, I'm going over my lashline with this. This is important for monolids because this gives us the depth and dimension that double-lids give, without a harsh restricting eyeliner effect.

Extend Ebony to the outer corner of your eye, ending and blending just out to the bone of the eye socket. What?

Like this.... I guess.

Did I also fill in the outer lower rim? You bet I did.

Here, we have Prestige Eyeshadow in Verdigris. If I had brushed up on my French before buying this and realized it means green-gray, I might not have bought it, haha. Indeed, if not careful, it just looks muddy, like I'm using a dirty brush or something.

Yea, right here, baby. You know how I like it, uh, uh~ Wow, what is wrong with me...

Initially, I was going to leave the eyeshadows as thus b/c that's how it is up in the first entry, but - maybe it's the mood or what - it just felt bland. So, I thought I'd brighten it up with some NYX Yellow Pearl .

NYX Yellow Pearl

Somewhere around here.

Blended out the edges.

Jesse's Girl Eye Dust loose shimmery powder, applied with a wet cotton swab. Applied to inner corners and along the inner 2/3 of lower rims.

Smoothed out the shimmer and added eyeliner to upper lash line and just at the outer end of the lower lash line. If small eyes is a complex of yours, I urge you to avoid lining the entire lower rim. It will only make your eyes seem smaller.

Used crappy "volumizing" mascara for lower lashes only.

Applied Missha Dolly Eyelash false lashes in XL. This is usually too long for me but it shows up better in the photos than what I usually use, so for this tutorial, I'm using the XL.

Applied Imju Fiberwig Mascara to lower lashes. This usually works best if used over a volumizing mascara.

Aaaand, here's the result.

Dang, these lashes make my eyes look HUGE.

That zit scar seems to have turned into a permanent discoloration :( It's been almost a year!

With flash.

Questions? Comments? You know where to leave them :)

Thanks for reading this guys and, for those of you who actually read the whole thing, kudos! @_@

Lovelixir, I hope this tutorial helped.

Don't Let Alienman Wander into Rite-Aid Alone

2008-02-04T21:00:00.000-08:00

I can never seem to leave that place without picking some extras up. I went in for postage stamps, which they didn't even carry, and I came out with nothing but vanity.

The Haul:

Prestige Eyeliners:

The green shows up okay on the picture, but I didn't like how the purple didn't look true to life at all, so I had to change the lighting:

Prestige Eyeliner in Azure:

This is my first time getting eyeliner that isn't white/silver (for the waterline) or black/brown. I've been hesitant about colorful eyeliners because I worried that, on monolids, it might only make my eyes look smaller. I couldn't help myself, though. I've wanted to try them so bad, I finally caved in.

I did worry that the color payoff might be poor but I was pleased. The following was drawn using all four eyeliners:

New nail polish b/c Alienman has a sorry collection of nail polish that can all fit into a pencil case:

Left: Petites by Scherer in Sapphire Right: Scherer Chameleon

I had never even heard of Sherer before. I first got this w/the intention of doing a french nail w/the Sapphire base and Chameleon tip. The Chamaleon is a line of holographic or iridescent pearly colors. I can't recall what shade I got and the bottle doesn't say, but it has a very light bluish hue.

Experimented with the colors:

Then I went and f***ed it up with my "creativity". D'oh!

My right hand looks even worse -_-

I was going to get Scarzone because I had heard good things about it. In fact, I was literally reaching out for it, but this was right next to it and caught my eye.

Same exact price. I was intrigued. DAMN YOU, INTRIGUE! *shakes fist in air

I've already tried this out just now. It claims it's not greasy. I say it kind of is, or is this just the feeling of being well moisturized?

Click for info on Bio-Oil

I hadn't even heard about this when I picked it up. Then I came home and browsed NoBrainer and, there, Chyi Chyi had already mentioned it. It's like I read her mind and bought it when she was reading up on it or something @_@

WooOOooh

You know he loves you very much when...

2008-02-03T23:43:00.000-08:00

The other day, the boyfriend was lounging on the bed playing around with my camera while I dressed for work, when suddenly he started squealing and loudly kissing the LCD display.

Me: Wha... what picture are you kissing?!

.

.

.

What is this nonsense I hear about Colorless Color

2008-02-03T21:23:00.000-08:00

Usually, I'm not one to fall headfirst for high end makeup gimmicks and hypes. That's why you never read any kind of reactions here on Goldfish Cake regarding whatever limited collection MAC is coming out with soon, now or somewhere in some country in Europe only. It's not that I think I'm above any of that, haha, oh, no. In fact, it's because I'm below all that, haha. I am so poor and so impoverished in budget that I don't even want to think about products and merchandise that I know I'll never get to afford. It's a state of mind that has been brainwashed into me so thoroughly that I've actually lost any tinge of desire for them.

That being said, you can send all donations via paypal to... ok okay, I'm totally kidding. I dun need no charity from any o' youze! Now git outta my trailer park befer I load my shotgun here...

What? What was I talking about before I started stinging my own pride...

O, yea. So, I was lurking (a la Swamp Thing, again; cuz, see, I'm a lurker, not a fighter) around good ol' I am Fashion and there, I see her entry on the Lancome L.U.C.I aka Luminiscent Colorless Color Intelligence. The concept has me interested, though, and I'm actually tempted to look into finding where the nearest available location is.

I like how they add words like "intelligence" to the name of a product to make it sound like nifty high tech experimenting was involved, not to mention the mind-boggling oxymoron that cancels itself out. You can't question this kind of "intelligence". You point out this emperor's butt naked and they'll condescendingly descend upon you like vultures and belittle you for not understanding the concept of intangible material. It's like, oooooh, there IS no color but.... there IS!!! or.... or is there?? OooOOOooh.

"colors so elusive, so subtle, they are best described as “colorless” shades"

That's how the website describes it. Hmm, that's funny. Most of the time, I find Lancome eye shadow shades to be "colorless" already. The pigmentation is hardly there and I have to vigorously swirl my brush around into a small funnel cloud to make sure I get any color payoff. Now, they're making it sound like this is something that's JUST happening and it's an amazing new phenomenon.

Okay, now, I'm just being mean. At this rate, I'll probably get my IP banned by Lancome's website team. Let's see what this is really about.

Here's the detail on the eyeshadows.

"This stunning shell-shaped eye shadow compact holds two shadows, a beautiful bronze and a photonic shade -- new technology pigment shadow. The iridescent color, like that found on a butterfly’s wing or a bubble, is the result of an optical phenomenon where hues of an object change color based on light interference and viewing angles."

It sounds like the white-looking shade on the left of the palette is supposed to have some sort of holographic effect, but I could be wrong. It says the same of the eyeliner and that's what I'm most intrigued about.

So intrigued that, for the first time in a long time, I'm interested in checking out a high end collection!

An Honor

2008-01-31T20:08:00.001-08:00

Oh~ I almost forgot to mention...

I was asked for permission for my painting "Bubble Pig" to be used as a title picture for a blog! I looked at this person's blog and her new project Pearls Before Swine and, wow, I'm flattered and deeply, deeply honored that I could contribute to something of such great means.

Ever since, I've been lurking in and out of her blogs. She's a great writer, with her own distinct style and her perspectives are deep and touching. Definitely worth a read.

Silk Naturals Haul

2008-01-31T18:59:00.000-08:00

My Silk Naturals came in the mail~

Good thing, too, 'cuz otherwise, I have nothing makeup-related to talk about, hur hur.

My breakouts have been pretty bad lately, so I'm giving BB cream a rest for a while and going back to Silk Naturals. I feel like I need something really light for coverage for a while.

Rumor has it they're raising the prices, so I might have to order another batch of Ivory. I'm loving this foundation. I noticed that it darkens after a few hours of absorbing oil on my face. So, I'll have to mix in some more Ivory. Rumor has it they're raising the prices, so I might have to order another batch of Ivory.

In case you're wondering how the full size compares to the sample size:

I still have a ton of Buttery Gold left in the sample size. Looks like I won't be running out soon. BTW I've only tried 2 scoops each of the Warm Gold and Ebony samples and I won't be needing either. Does anybody want the rest of it? No purchase necessary, free of charge. This might not be a good idea for those who are trying to test it out since you'll definitely need Ivory to mix with the colors. Rather, this offer may only appeal to those who already use Silk Naturals and want some extra. Leave me a comment if you're interested!

I love how the new sifter jar comes with a little sticker where you can keep track of measurements.

Lip gloss in Darling. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the lip gloss!!! It's literally a tinted shimmery lip balm. This is the only lip gloss I've ever tried that does not make my lips dry and peel. You should see me after a day's wear of Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush lip gloss. Despite all my bad fortune w/lip glosses, I could never bring myself to splurge on a high end brand. I just made sure to wear lip balm underneath. I didn't have to wear lip balm this morning. I just put on this lip gloss and my lips were hydrated and slick. The waxy smell is stronger than the fragrance.

Complaint.Reversed

2008-01-28T12:47:00.000-08:00

In response to my complaint regarding this incident, the website that hosted the writer's reviews informed me:

Your complaint against cpexpert has been reversed.

cpexpert filed an appeal of your complaint and won. Your score has been adjusted down the points you received for this complaint minus an additional five points.

Please file complaints with care.

Apparently, it is careless and warrants a form of punishment (or negative reinforcement) to bring to their attention that one of their frequent writers has committed plagiarism.

Random Tipsy POstng

2008-01-26T23:08:00.000-08:00

Cap'n Cruch: WOOT YOU DRUK SAY YUNG?!?!
ME: YAH YA CAPPIN CRUNCH!
CAP'n Crucnh: HAHA YOU CAN'T SPEL MY NAME YOU SO DRNK
Me: I AM LIGHTWEGiht!