'Tis the Eve of a New Year

It's New Year's Eve! Our last full day before we ring in twenty-ten!

My mind is abuzz with to-do's, but I can't help but pause and reflect back on 2009. I feel like 2009 has totally whizzed by--it seems like so little, yet so much (does that even make sense?!) has happened this year. And as I think about all the days of 2009, I'm once again reminded of how blessed I am...

[thank you to my family, friends, and those who have so kindly visited here~]

***
2010 is a new year, a start of a new decade, a time for a fresh start.
Goodbye 2009, helllllo 2010!
TWENTY-TEN...HERE I COME, HERE WE COME!

I truly hope that in 2010, everyone has good fortune, good health, and bright days.

Oh, and before the new year begins, (if you'd like...) empty out all trashcans and tidy up your house (if needed, that is ^.^ I know I need to...hahaha...)~~
Let's get rid of any unwanted clutter and mess and really welcome in the new year with a bang!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and stays warm in the chilly weather!

<3

Freeeee!

Hallelujah!!
Yesterday was my last day at school for the year 2009! I've been (somewhat) patiently counting down to this glorious day; school is great (I suppose) and everything, but it can be overwhelming... Even though I still have a ton of things to do over break, I'm glad I get to stay home and work on my own time and take some leisurely breaks.

I think I'm more productive when I can decide when I do what--
School is good for structure and doing things on a schedule (which is beneficial and forces you to act in a timely manner), but at the same time I feel as though it sometimes restricts how I utilize the hours in a day. Since I don't have school until the new year (which is CRAZY, by the way...where has time gone?!), I'm definitely going to be loving and enjoying these days to come. :)

*gets off soap box*

Sooo...Christmas is in 6 days and I have yet to buy any gifts for my family!
>.<
I plan on going within the next 2-3 days (I have to!) and hopefully I'll be able to find some nice presents to give. We shall see...

I hope everyone is doing well~~

I'm going to go put together a blog post on something I bought recently, so hopefully that'll be posted soon, too!

Till then~~

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!



I hope everyone has a safe, fun, love-filled, tummy-satisfying day!

After today, only 29 more days until Christmas! And then the New Year!

On a side note, is anyone going to be partaking in the Black Friday sales?

Enabled

The title says it all...
I have succumbed to, I have been enabled by the wonderful, yet wallet destroying enabler that is the internet during holiday season.
All the sales, discounts, and holiday specials...they're just so appealing o.o;

My first haul of the season was from the Sephora Friends&Family sale that went on a few weeks ago...

Ahh...yes, the glorious Sephora box...

Care to take a looksie? :)



My goodies, samples and all...

Lancome High Resolution Collaser-5X for my momma


Too Faced Shadow Insurance
I've never had an eye primer before, but based off of all the reviews I've read, Too Faced Shadow Insurance is better for those with dry lids (although, I would consider my lids to be normal...). And, I was kind of leaning more toward the Shadow Insurance as opposed to Urban Decay Primer Potion just because I didn't want to be hassled by the awkward/inconvenient shape of the bottle.

These next two products are items I've been eying for a while because Ms. Mona not only recommended it, but she also did a great review on the products.


Shiseido Hydro-Power Eye Shadow in H9 or Glistening Sand.
This (in the pot) looks slightly paler and more gold in real life.


Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in Birthday Suit

I have yet to use either of the Shiseido and Benefit cream shadows, but when I do, I'll put up another post about them~~

I think I'll be off to bed now (it's nearly dawn here!)...I wish I slept at a "normal" time so that I waking up wouldn't be so dreadful, but what can I say...I'm a total night person--much more productive when it's night time.

In case I don't make a separate post for Thanksgiving...HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! May everyone be surrounded by good company and good food! :)

(P.S. Did you notice that starting from the Too Faced Shadow Insurance, there's two, then three, then four pictures on each product?)

Procrastination

Hello, Blogger-world! It's been a long while since my last post...

***

We've hit November! Heck, we're even halfway through it! I'm still super busy, but I've been wanting to put up a post, so here I am (& I'm procrastinating on the pile of things to do right beside me--o.o)~

School has been pretty hectic these days; there's a bunch of things I'm helping out with/volunteering for. Luckily, they usually involve crafting or organizing--two things I really enjoy doing. I'm also debating whether or not I should participate in a holiday fair/sale/boutique my school holds annually where both commercial and non-commercial (as in students, staff, etc.) vendors set up booths and sell their goodies whether it be handmade (this is where I would be) or not. A lot of the items sold are one a kind, quirky items great as stocking stuffers or as holiday gifts. I wasn't a vendor last year, but it seemed like it would be a lot of fun (& hard work)...Oh, the dilemmas...

Fall & winter chilliness is finally starting to set in here which is a nice change from the kind of bipolar weather of a few weeks past~
As much as I'm grateful/happy that the weather is getting chillier, I really dislike freezing hands and feet that accompany the cold weather, *but* I love love love the cozy-wrapped-in-a-fuzzy-robe feeling, the mugs of hot chocolate and tea, and the general buzz and excitement for the upcoming holidays (Thanksgiving & Christmas--woot, woot!!). Totally outweighs the cold hands and feet! Hahaha...

I have a bunch of posts I want to do and hopefully I'll be able to get them put together & post them up in the near future...

I hope everyone is doing well these days~
:)

Long Time, No Blog Post

Hello, hello!~

I can't believe it's been already two and a half months since I've last posted anything! Time flies by so quickly... Can you believe it's already October? Only a couple months left until we hit 2010--

I can't wait until December comes. Not only will holiday festivities and celebrations be in full swing, but also (hopefully) I'll be less busy by the end of the year... I've got loads of things to do and finish within these next few months, and I'll be go-go-going until then.

I hope all is going well for everyone!
& I hope everyone remains healthy and strong in these fall and winter days to come~

P.S. Happy (early?) Birthday to Yumeko!! I hope you are having a blast in Korea~
:)

Long Overdue

Hi all!
I was supposed to make this post like 2 months back, but...I didn't...
*hangs head*
Better late than never, right?

***

So, back in May I received two generous gifts from my grandma and dad (separately). Before her trip to Japan and Korea, my grandma asked me to compile a list of things I wanted in case she had time to go shopping (she was taking a tour of Japan). I gave her the list and little did I know that she was going to give me so much!

The whole loot from my grandma.

Maquillage Lasting Climax Rouge Lipstick in PK357

Integrate Glamorous Rouge Lip gloss in PK321

Esprique Precious Dress on Moist Rouge Lipstick in BE812

Closeup of the Esprique Precious. There's a subtle design on the top of the lipstick...too bad it disappears after one use...

There was also a Kiss Me mascara, a cute pen, and a little foamy cell phone charm that I didn't take individual pictures of, but are in the first picture. The lipstick colors look fairly similar at first glance, but upon closer examination, the Maquillage one is pinker while the Esprique Precious one is more reddish. Also, they both have a fine glitter to them--Maquillage has pink and gold flecks while the Esprique Precious lipsticks have subtle silver and kind of duochrome-y green/gold flecks. The Integrate lipgloss is a really pretty rosy pink color with pink flecks of glitter in it. Sadly, my lips are super pigmented and the lipgloss and lipsticks don't change my natural lip color. The lipsticks are actually very similar my natural lip color. I have yet to use the mascara (o.o) but I've heard that it's a pretty good one?

As for what my dad got me, it was totally unexpected... He had met one of his aunts for lunch and afterwards I think his aunt took him Etude House because her daughter had recently begun wearing makeup and he ended up buying a couple of things for me. I think it's funny/cute/endearing that my dad bought me makeup...hahaha.... :)

The whole shabang (plus a fluffy pen)


Orgel Lite Dear Darling Ultra Shine Lips in 9 or Nude Shine (what a long name)

Fluffy pen...it's soooo soft and girly. I <3 it.

I dont have pictures of the BB cream and the two liners, but again, they are included in the group picture. I haven't used the BB cream enough to say anything for sure, but I think the coverage is relatively light. As for the liners, I don't think they are very good. I drew two lines on the back of hand (one for each liner) and rubbed the lines only to find that they rubbed right off. :( Both are black, but one of the two has a really pretty subtle metallicy sheen to it... If only they didn't budge. The lipstick is similar to the Maquillage and Esprique Precious lippies, but is peachier with gold flecks. Oh, and this lipstick has a really lovely scent--fruity and sweet. Mmmmm....smells so good.

Hope my first post with products and pictures isn't a total failure. Hahaha...

Quick Update~

Hello! Greetings!

So, it's been way longer than the 9 days I said in the previous post and I have yet to write up that post I said I would put up in my first entry...
*sigh*
>.<

What have I been up to?
*I'm out of school for summer break! Yay!
*I made it to Korea... :)
*I'm trying to compose (emphasis on trying) a non-bank breaking list of things I want to buy; there's so much I want after reading everybody's posts on all these fab products... (are there any specific products you recommend I check out & buy?)
*I've been eating good food with good company *I got numerous mosquito bites that itch and get swollen (<-- pretty sad because it hasn't been *that* hot since I've gotten here and it'll only get worse...*ugh* more bites [fact: one time, I had 20+ bites on my body, but luckily none of them were smack dab in the middle of my face or something... *knock on wood*])

Internet connection availability has been a bit erratic which is a pain, but I'm hoping to have better WiFi in a few days...
Better internet connection=long overdue post, maybe??

Anywho, off I go to get ready to eat (again...)!!
I hope to be back soon~

9 Days Left!

Hi all!!~

Normally, I read blog posts of other bloggers through my Google Reader so I don't really check my Dashboard/homepage. But, today I kind of spontaneously checked my blog (actually, it was to double check my blog URL before posting a comment--hahaha...) and guess what I found??

4 comments on my first post!

Call me childish, but eesh, I swear my heart beat doubly fast for a few moments.

:)

Anyhow, I've been wanting to make a post about the things I mentioned in my first entry, but alas, the final weeks of school have been swamping me with tests, projects, etc. I even took pics of the goodies~ I'm so so so glad that only 9 more days are left until I'm freeeeeeeee~

I've also been surprised me with a somewhat last minute decision to go to Korea for a short vacation. So stoked! I've been there many, many times, but this will be the first time going since my interest in beauty began & I can't wait to hit up some stores and check out the goodies I've been reading about these past months.

Better start saving up now! I have a feeling my wallet will be much lighter once I come back...
>.<

First Post!

Recently, my interest in beauty-related things has skyrocketed and I find myself rather frequently visiting sites like Sephora and Makeupalley, as well as reading posts from my evergrowing Google Reader list of smart, savvy, and beautiful blogger ladies that I have come to really admire these past months. After receiving a bunch of gifts from Japan and Korea through my grandma and my dad (yes, my dad! I'm shocked!), I had the sudden urge to make a blog. >.< What a big change this is from being a relatively silent reader to making (and actually typing up a post!) a blog!

Anyhow, I hope that through time and personal use of products, my knowledge about beauty and beauty products will grow (lots)...perhaps to the point where I can maybe help others that pass through the beauty community. :)

Cheers to claiming my little spot in cyberspace!

P.S. Kudos to all the blogger ladies who write such long, detailed posts! It took me such a long time to write the couple of senteces up above...*sigh* Hopefully, I'll get better at blogging once I'm not such a newbie at it...