Happy New Year everyone!! Hope you all will have a great 2013! :]
Here's a mani I did a few days ago. Nothing too fancy here though because glittery nails are pretty on but it is such a pain to take off.
Gold Base: Milani 3D Holographic Nail Lacquer ~ 510-3D
Black Polish: Sally Hansen ~ Midnight in NY (a very appropriate New Year's polish don't you think?)
Excuse the bubbles! I was too liberal while applying my top coat and those showed up.
If you don't mind sharing, what are some of your resolutions?
Happy Holidays everyone! Wish you have a wonderful Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanza! Hope you're all having a great time with your family, friends, and loved ones :]
Here's a quick mani I did for the holidays!
Red Base: Sally Hansen ~ Red Zin
Gold & Silver 'Trees': Milani 3D Holographic Nail Lacquer ~ 510-3D & 509-HD
Silver Shimmers 'Snow': China Glaze Fairy Dust
It is supposed to look like gold & silver Christmas trees and snow. In retrospect, I probably should have thought more about the base color since this is actually my second attempt at this look. I just wanted to use holiday colors. But now as my brother said it looks like "Christmas trees with a blood sky"... *sigh*.
Hi everyone! I just wanted to update with this quick post before I have my temporary hiatus to focus on my finals. YAY, finals...! Good luck to anyone else who's also facing finals week! :]
I did my nails last Friday in anticipation for a party my mom's work was throwing for the employees' children. Of course, I'm not a kid anymore but I had to take my little brother. So I tried to be more festive than I usually am for the occasion. I hadn't exactly planned what particular design I wanted to do, yet I knew I didn't want to do a solid color. After I bought the Milani 3D Holographic polishes earlier that day, I came up with these results after a bit of experimenting.
Silver base layer: Milani 3D Holographic Nail Lacquer ~ 509-HD
Red stripes: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Polish ~ Red Zin
Gold dots: Milani 3D Holographic Nail Lacquer ~ 510-3D
Sans top coat for the photos. Afterwards I ended up putting 2 coats of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat
What do you think? I'm usually not a big holiday person but a girl can change (even if it is just a little bit for now)! ^__^ It is so hard to try and keep the edges clean when I am putting on the top coat layer. I still need to practice that step a lot to keep the tape design looking nice.
Ever since I tried Petrol, I've kind of been a little obsessed with this particular Sally Hansen line. When I saw that CVS was having a BOGO FREE for this line I made sure I went to check out what colors (if any) were left at CVS. I read the reason why these are being cleared from drugstore shelves is that the company is reformulating the line. I hope the new formula is at least going to be on par with the old formula. But I'll probably wait for a sale before I try the new formula version...heh!
Surprisingly, the selection at the CVS I usually go to was almost untouched (a big contrast to Walgreens). I guess compared to the Walgreens prices ($1.99) the CVS "sale" didn't look as appealing? Nonetheless, I was excited to see all the choices available! In the end I decided to choose the colors below. (The fourth one I picked up is going toward the giveaway!)
I've been wanting to try a red polish and a black polish for a while now but never got it because those are colors I feel I wouldn't wear too often. Especially since I have always associated red polish as a more mature shade. But since these were on sale and I liked their formula enough, I didn't mind making the purchase.
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Right Said Red, Red Zin, & Midnight in NY
However, I was not very happy with the tricky sales method CVS had though...(well at least the CVS I went to). I went into the store having read that this particular polish selection was BOGO FREE. After I chose the polishes I wanted to get, I went to their price scanner to just to make sure they were on sale. Lo and behold, the Midnight in NYC (the black polish) was the only one to come out as BOGO FREE...while the two red polishes were BOGO 50%.
I asked someone (who I'm assuming was the store manager) and was told in an annoyed tone that only certain colors were BOGO FREE and I'd have to check all the polish prices if I wanted that promotion. Afterward I even checked their in-store circular to make sure what the actual sale was in case I read something wrong or the store had different terms than what was posted online...but that was not the case. The ad clearly said BOGO FREE for the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polish line and BOGO 50% for every other Sally Hansen line (excluding the Complete Salon Manicure polishes). In the end, I bought the polishes anyways because one of the red polishes only had one bottle left (impulse much? hah).
I don't know about others but in a way, I feel a little cheated...Or am I just overreacting and should just be happy that there was a sale in the first place?
Anyway!! Back to the polishes.
One layer of each polish.
Since they're all a jelly like formula they can be a bit on the translucent side if applied a certain way (like how the black color shown above is a bit patchy). I'd recommend not to fix the first layer when wet. Just to wait for it to dry and then touch up with a light second coat instead.
I'm still warming up to Right Said Red, the fire-engine red on my pinky, but it is a really pretty color!
Red Zin is a gorgeous blood red shade. Especially because of its jelly consistency it looks as close as nail polish can get to real blood, don't you agree? I never thought I'd ever buy this color because it seems difficult to pull off...but I ended up liking this shade the most of the three.
Midnight in NY looked like a really nice black with micro shimmers which kind of emulated stars in the sky (hence the name), but sadly it didn't translate very well onto my nails. Instead, it was ended up looking like a normal jelly black polish. In certain angles, you can see the micro shimmers but is close to being microscopic. I guess in a way it is an accurate depiction of the sky in NY since it is pretty difficult to see stars in the city. Maybe I'll grow to like this polish the more I wear it?
Two layers of each polish
Sorry for the blurry photo! I'm not use to taking photos with my left hand. It was surpisingly much harder to handle a DSLR and control focus with my left hand than I thought...
Since I didn't feel like taking off the polish I just decided to practice the tape nail art method on my pointer and thumb. These came out much better than the last attempt! (Yes I do have different designs and colors on my left and right hand. I didn't think I'd be able to wear these out comfortably and confidently but I've been sporting these for 2 days already!)
This month went by really quickly! I forgot that school does that to a person's perception of time...Especially with all the days off we had at the school I go to, I hardly felt like I've been attending classes for a whole month already. I didn't get to do many things other than go to school, eat, and shop some. Doesn't sound exciting enough to share right? But nonetheless, there were some highlights of my month!
I didn't get to post on the actual date but Happy Belated Mid-Autumn Festival! (This sounds a little weird to me because the official start of fall was only like a week ago...hah.) For this year I didn't eat the traditional mooncakes. I was finally able to try the snow-skin mooncakes. This one, in particular, was a taro one. I must say...it was yummy. Of course, it's a plus that the mooncake was purple!
The most exciting event of my September!!!!! This one deserves all the exclamation points it can get!!!
I have been anticipating this concert since they announced Big Bang will have one way back in...the summer. I didn't think I'd actually be able to go but when my friend said she was interested as well I definitely wanted to get my butt there in November. She was able to get not 1 but 2 of the highly sought after VIP tickets. I was so surprised...I checked the ticket listings for fun a few minutes after they were released and they were virtually non-existent. Despite the high ticket price, I am stoked! I can't wait for this concert.
The rare chance that my nails are actually strong enough for me to paint them! Nothing too flashy, but a nice transition going into fall no?
I also shopped more than I would like to admit this month. This is just a photo of one of my hauls...Scary! I've been putting a lot more effort into dressing "up" for school nowadays. Definitely trying to get out of the jeans and hoodies rut I was in for the longest time...
I haven't browsed the Macy's selection of clothes in a LONG time. I went the other day with my mother and I was immediately drawn to this burgundy Tommy Hilfiger button down. My mom, on the other hand, did not like it at all. But that didn't stop me from at least trying it. I LOVED the way it looked. It had a slight hi-low and when I tucked the front in, it didn't show my muffin top like most other shirts do *sigh* The only thing that stopped me from getting it was its price. I scanned the top and it came out to be $55.xx...WHY SO PRICEY?! I must wait for this to go on sale!
Do you guys think my gym gear is breaking too many fashion rules (if any)? Or does that not matter when you go to the gym? I haven't been worked out in a while so I made it a point to get myself there the other day. I don't know what made me get on the treadmill when I usually just go on the cross-ramp but it felt nice (at the time). My legs couldn't even bend without hurting for the next few days...
The only other interesting thing I did was eat.
Poutine @ Pommes Frites
I'm not sure how poutine in Canada tastes, but I think this is the closest we can get in NYC? I loved how crunchy the fries were. But I just wished the cheese curds was a little more melted/stringy.
Takoyaki @ Otafuku
A little hole-in-the-wall shop on a side street at St.Marks. I love their takoyaki! Surprisingly, of the three times I've bought from them this was the only time I've eaten it fresh and hot. It was good...The only complaint I have was I wish mine were a bit crispier on the outside. But that could have been a timing problem because I didn't want to burn myself eating the takoyaki right away...heh.
Chocolate Swirl Bread & Macarons @ Panya Bakery
I gotta say I loved both of these. Especially the bread. It wasn't overly sweet but definitely not as plain as white toast. Not something I'd indulge in often but definitely something I'd get again. I love that you can ask them to cut the loaf of bread there. They have a thick toast option! LOVE~
Sunrise (Mango & Strawberry White Tea) with Aloe Jelly @ Yaya Tea Garden
I've tried a couple syrupy teas and I think they just aren't for me...They all taste too sweet for my liking. I wonder if I could ask for less of the syrup the next time I go (whenever that is). But I do appreciate the different types of jellies they had available!
Variety of sushi rolls @ Wasabi
Since I don't eat raw fish, I always end up getting a plate full of not so healthy but very delicious sushi with something fried in it instead. Not complaining though! I love me some sushi!
Homemade Herbal Jelly (not made by me)
I've been eating this all of August and September. At first, we just bought the stuff from the store but my mom decided to try making it herself. It wasn't too bad, although some batches were more jelly like than others. I love to eat this with agave nectar instead of liquid sugar. Apparently, ABCs aren't a big fan of this? I guess I'm the exception...I love this stuff!
I wish I could be as carefree as this guy (at least it seems he is). The next coming months at school will be stressful. Not just because of the workload. Mainly because it's my first semester as a sophomore and I really still have no burning definite decision for my major yet. AHH! Was anyone else in this situation or am I just really terrible for not having a goal in life...still...?
Hi, everyone! I really hate myself for leaving my blog not updated for a whole month. But nonetheless, it happened anyway *sigh* The last couple of months was jam-packed full of activities. In the short period of time, I went to quite a few places and tried many new things. Compared to the last summer vacation I had...this one was definitely more memorable! (I admit! I just lazed around the house before :X) I was able to even get my first job...although for my own good (mentally and grade wise) I resigned from my first job as well. It was interesting while it lasted though!
Enough of why I wasn't on blogger! & Onto what I actually did :]
Besties and I made it a must to hang out more often this summer vacation. Last year we said the same thing and ended up doing absolutely nothing together! In June we went biking. In July we went ice skating in the indoor rink at Flushing Meadows Park. It was so refreshing to be inside somewhere cool cold freezing on a hot summer day. Mental note...next time I must bring a hoodie, even if it's the summer! Skating inside was definitely different from gliding outside in say Bryant Park/Central Park/Rockefeller Center. A lot of skating students of much higher levels were skating around so it was a bit more embarrassing for us newbies to skate there. But after a couple of circles, it didn't matter anyways hah
After we had our share of fun, we headed toward Flushing for dinner. We planned to go to an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurant (Picnic Garden). Initially, we went there very excited. Sadly we left annoyed/disappointed. The food wasn't the problem. It was the service more than anything. Our group of 4 would get a couple of plates with a lot of food to grill thinking we'd sit and cook what we got a little at a time. However, the servers/waitresses would walk around and dump everything onto the grill (this was even before they had a dinner time rush!). We were rushed to eat and leave before we even started...I don't know if this is what happens at other similar restaurants but the four of us all agreed we'd be happier going somewhere else the next time we're in Queens.
In August we already ran out of ideas on what to do together. We always have somewhere we'd want to eat at but never anything to do! Since we decided to eat somewhere close to the Brooklyn Bridge (on the Brooklyn side) we decided to take a walk across it. As surprising as this may sound to non-New Yorkers, neither of us 4 have ever walked across before. It was very relaxing...even despite the heat that day. But please bring a lot of water (one bottle isn't enough)! We were all dying of thirst by the time we reached the other end. The walk was actually much faster than we originally anticipated. It took about half an hour to reach the other end. Do keep in mind, we were walking at our slow pace and stopped multiple times to take pictures and stare at the view!
Other than going out with the besties, I was also able to finally go to Dorney Park with my mom and brother. Times like this where I wish I had more courage to go on the 'fun' rides. Perhaps if I was with a group of friends who were also going on the roller coasters. By myself? Never! heh Instead, my brother and I spent most of the day in the water park area and boy did I get tanned. Sad to admit but I nearly drowned twice and even caused a big accident (my glasses had to be searched for...that's all I'm going to say) at one of the water slides. Oh, the troubles of not knowing how to swim and being afraid to stick my head in the water. I shall conquer my water fear...next summer! xD
MmmM! The yummy goodness~
My fave steamed rice noodle wrapped around donut(?) - 油條 (youtiao)!! Actually, this particular one was not so good...it wasn't crunchy enough!
The whole summer I was trying hard to curb my eating habits but sometimes when you're out...having a refreshing tea drink isn't too bad right?
Paris Baguette goodies
I think this was the Fruit Green Tea Cup Patbingsoo (팥빙수) & Berry Ade.
I really loved the Patbingsoo! I only wished I was eating it there with friends because even the cup size was too big for me to eat alone. Definitely a sharing food!
The Berry Ade, on the other hand, was just so-so for me. It tasted a lot like Sprite with a hint of berry. Perhaps they were just light-handed on the berry syrup?
Just like in June, I had a big cooking adventure. There were some big failures and great successes!
Curry ddeokboki & Kimchi Fried Rice (김치볶음밥)
I cheated and used a pre-made curry but it tasted pretty good nonetheless!
Fried rice, though, was amazing. (The photo is the first time I made the rice.) I don't know what I did differently the second time around but it did not taste right at all...*sigh* Just when my confidence in cooking was high!
The other fail dish: MacNCheese (left photo) & The more successful second attempt (right photo). Thank goodness it wasn't bad too since I made a big batch of the second one for both my brother and I. If it was terrible I'd either have to eat it all myself or it would go to waste...
The photo does all the talking no? It is easy to tell how bad the first attempt was just by looking!
The only baking I did was for a house party my family had in July. I love cheesecake! So I decided to give it a try and make it myself. After searching a dozen...or two...recipes I was surprised by how much cream cheese was used but it came out alright. I shall try a different recipe next time though! Anyone have one to share?
My other summer project: gardening. Well, to be exact...my mom put everything into pots and I just watered them every day. heh! Is it weird if I thought the lettuce seedlings were cute?
I couldn't believe how fast my lettuce plants grew, only been about a month!
Tomatoes...felt like it took forever to grow! Close to 2 maybe even 3 months? Some of the cherry tomatoes finally ripened. Perfect time for me to try cherry tomatoes (I've never had them before...) The iPhone's camera quality really surprises me when I get photos like these!
As for what I did the rest of my summer...
Watched the Olympics & Went to work
I quite literally woke up and caught the Olympics and went to sleep watching it as well!
Work is a whole 'nother story that is too long and complicated to share here. Let's just say there was a lot of stress and the first couple of days I felt like I was going to go crazy from all the pressure. Retail at a big store is scary...
Gave DIY bracelets a go
Made sure I used all my beauty products more than I did the last summer
And of course went shopping!
center
The dress I wish I bought from Forever21.
The trench coat that I've been eyeing from Uniqlo and bought a couple of days ago because it finally went on sale!
The outfit I wore (sans the pants...decided to wear something less skin hugging) to my job interview.
The booties I tried and decided was too much for me to handle right now (still need more practice walking in heels first!) &
The wedged sneakers from Steve Madden that I just couldn't pass up on!!
I literally saw these Olympiaa photos on Pinterest the night earlier and thought wow! it looks so close to the (way too expensive for me) Ash wedged sneakers. The next day Bestie C and I went to walk around 34th Street after class and I suggested to go into the store to ONLY try on the shoe to see if it'll fit me. Then I was completely suckered in by how comfortable they were despite being heeled shoes. Yet that wasn't the final kicker that made me purchase these...Steve Madden had a Scratch-off promo going on and I got a $20 off! The shoes are still much more expensive than I normally buy but from $99.95 to $79.95...it's probably the best price I can get them for before they go on sale and run out of my size completely (or perhaps I'm just trying to make myself feel better for buying expensive shoes in general ha!).
So that was my July & August for you! How were your summers?
Classes started last Monday. Hopefully, I won't be too caught up by school work that I ignore the blog again! Please don't get mad if that does happen :X
