lavenderlilac dream

This post is very late... But here are a few mini "adventures" I had the last 2 months.

A friend and I made an overnight trip to Stony Brook University during our Spring Break. We decided to take the LIRR there. Although neither of us were familiar with that train system, we managed to make it in one piece. Hurray!

I was pretty excited as it was going to be my first dorming experience (even if it was just for one night). Since I hardly ever travel, I looked pretty overpacked; now I know better, right?

Even though Stony is infamously known to be a party-school, I thought it was rather calm for a Thursday night. (Not that I went looking to party :P) I love the convenience of the college I go to...but nothing can really compare to an actual campus and all it's openness & culture.

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Cutting Board 53 Bayard St New York, NY 10013 b/t Bowery & Elizabeth St in Chinatown

Fried Calamari w/ 3 sauces, Sweet Potato Waffle Fries, Pancetta Cream Pasta

I rarely go to Chinatown nowadays. There seem to be many new restaurants that aren't the typical Cantonese cuisine-fare. I hear there are also some good ramen places in the area now as well. (Next on my to-try list!)

Cutting Board offers an Asian fusion/Italian selection. I remember seeing many Facebook posts from Cutting Board last summer and they all looked pretty tasty. I can't attest to all their dishes but the ones I had weren't bad. Portions are big for one person but not quite enough to share among two people.

Chinatown Ice Cream Factory 65 Bayard St New York, NY 10013 b/t Mott St & Elizabeth St in Chinatown

Red Bean Ice Cream & Waffle Cone

I've heard of this place and walked pass the store many many times before but have never tried their ice cream. The lineup for Chinatown Ice Cream Factory was really no joke. When paired with their narrow store space, it can get pretty overwhelming and fast. I would suggest taking a look through their website and/or Yelp first. As with other ice cream stores they do offer taste testing but it may be a little difficult get the busy employees' attention.

They had many flavors that I wanted to try but ended up playing it safe and getting the red bean flavor. I was a tad disappointed because there wasn't that much red bean flavor. But...if I ever feel like lining up again I would definitely go back to try some of their other unique flavors.

Melt Bakery @ Madison Square Eats

Mango Sorbet w/ Cardamom Cookie

Spot Dessert @ Food Gallery 32

Smoked Coconut Cheesecake

Bestie C's surprise treat after Finals week. She didn't really like this but I thought it was pretty tasty. Then again I don't think she's a big fan of coconut and I am quite the opposite :P

Sundaes and Cones 95 E 10th St New York, NY 10003 at 3rd Ave in East Village

Thai Ice + Hazelnut Ice Cream & Waffle Cone

I think this has to be the best ice cream I have ever had. They had many interest flavors but Thai Ice (tea) and Hazelnut was calling my name this time around. I really should have only gotten one flavor but I don't know when the next visit will be! The ice cream was oh so creamy and full of their namesake flavors. Deelish!

I wish they still had a storefront in Brooklyn...only just found out that they were originally based in the Bay Ridge area ;(

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Ah I think skirts and dresses are really starting to grow on me. I'm still not very confident in wearing either of them often but that can't stop me from trying them on in store!

Does anyone think the chambray/denim top + floral skirt combo look weird? I showed me Aunt (who's the most 'fashionable' in the family and she thought it was strange and an ugly combo...)

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How could 2 months possibly go buy without me doing something in the kitchen :P

Banana Flax Walnut Muffins

I remember trying this once when I was volunteering with a bakery a few years back. That was also the first time I've ever heard of flaxseeds. After finals were over I took to the internet to find something similar online. After making a couple of batches, I think I have it down! I will try to share the recipe soon (after a few more tries).

Black Sesame Bread

My first time making bread! It was exceptionally easier since I have the help of a KitchenAid mixer. But a family friend/Auntie wanted to learn (from a newbie) so I had to figure it out via hands as well. It was definitely a fun and stressful process but experience nonetheless. Apparently I cannot replicate the same results because each batch of dough worked out differently each time. Alas I am no bread expert... As long as it is edible, right? Not sure if I want to tackle bread making again anytime soon but it is on my list to master.

Typical Lunch
Rice, Boiled Chicken Breast, Corn, 2 Soft Boiled Eggs, Good Food Tableside Greek Yogurt Guacamole

I had my first taste of Chipotle rice bowls a few months back and loved it. So many textures and flavors... Now I can see why so many people rave about it.

Since I can't buy it too often (pricey & high-calories!) I decided to figure something out at home. I guess this could be considered a "skinny" and "light" version, although the flavors are very much different. It is still very filling and of course you can vary it as you wish. The possibilities are endless in a rice bowl.

Ah, I haven't had this many empties before!

April Empties

Of course masks are pretty easy to use up. Throw one on at night and it is used!
But there's always the things like being too tired, too lazy, or just plain forgetting about them altogether. If I do remember about sheet masks, they are a great way to end my night.
I find laying down with a mask on while watching videos or listening to music very relaxing. If I am too tired that night I can set an alarm to remind me to take the mask off before it ends up sucking moisture out instead of hydrating my face.
Most masks advise to massage the remaining serum into the skin but I tend to just let it soak in by itself. If I could squeeze in a little extra boost, I use my Hitachi Hada Crie to massage my face (with the mask still on).

may empties otaku mask elf studio tone correcting powder josie maran argan oil

May Empties
L to R: Otaku Pomegranate Antioxidant Brightening Mask, Clarisonic Brush Head, e.l.f. Studio Tone Correcting Powder, Josie Maran Argan Oil

The exciting month of empties! I can't even remember the last time I finished a powder. I remember being excited about hitting pan last summer and lilladylife told me that it was just a sign of being halfway through. She couldn't have been more right. I really liked using the e.l.f. powder to set my colored base makeup. It made things look smoother and my makeup lasted pretty long. However, it can look cakey & over-powdered if too much is applied. I probably won't repurchase it any time soon because I would like to try other brands. But for the price there is not much harm to give it a try.

When I bought the mini bottle of argan oil to try, I wasn't too sure how I would use it. Sometimes I would apply a few drops of the oil as a moisturizer. It works well and absorbs quickly. But it was still not really a match for my dry patches, yet I was hesitant to apply more because I can get pretty oily throughout the day. Towards the end of the bottle I decided to add a few drops to my moisturizer at the time. I think I like this method more because it adds a boost to my moisturizer and makes it easier to apply the oil product.

How do you find time to wind down and relax?

Hiiii everyone~~
It's been a while!
But long story short: school.
Now that it is the summer, I have every intention to try to get back into blogging. There is so much I want to share and keep a record of (even if it is just for myself).
I had an exciting announcement to make since March and can't wait to get that up soon. Although completely unintentional, there will be a few hints throughout this post!

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I have been trying my best to not spend on any skincare or makeup items. The things I've gotten lately were mostly bought in anticipation for my upcoming trip (hint hint).

sephora vib bi haul clinique take the day off cleansing balm urban decay sprays

Sephora
Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm, Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray, Urban All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray

I took advantage of the Sephora VIB BI discount code a few months back to try out the Clinique cleansing balm. I've been interested in it for a while and thought it would be a more travel-friendly makeup removing product.

Lilladylife talked highly of the All-Nighter Spray when we met before. But I was curious about both sprays that Urban Decay offered. Not knowing quite what the difference was I decided to order them both to try out. I hope perhaps at least one of the two will come in handy when in humid weather.

oo33mm haul real techniques powder and blush brushes

oo33mm
Real Techniques Powder Brush & Blush Brush

The impulse buys... But I don't regret it!
I really liked the Real Techniques brushes that I got a while back. Since there are deals for these every now and again, I was waiting out for another sale before adding the other brushes to my collection. When I saw these in a store something in me had me walking with these in my hands towards the cash register.

imomoko
Top L to R: Otaku Mask Set & Lululun Facial Masks - Brightening (white), High Moisture (purple), Moisture Type (pink), Yuzu (green)
Bottom L to R: Cleanser Foaming Net, Cow Brand Cleansing Oil, Lululun Facial Mask Special Box (Moisture Type & Pomegranate)

Just as my sheet masks stash was running low, I found that imomoko was having their Friends & Family sale. (Imomoko also regularly has special mask sales so don't feel left out!) At the time the website didn't stock the My Scheming masks that I like. But there were many other brands that I still wanted to try. In order to restrain myself from buying everything that I could, I limited myself to brands I wouldn't be able to get easily in the next few months.

Lululun is a completely new brand to me. There are quite a few reviews that I found and the opinions were pretty mixed. I decided to give it a try anyways given their low price. After trying it a few times myself, I have mixed feelings towards it. I'll try to dedicate a post for it soon!

Otaku Mask Set
1 Cactus Hydrating Mask (eating rice)
2 Pomegranate Antioxidant Brightening Mask (in sunglasses)
2 Cedar Myogenic Acne Conditioning Mask (taking selfie)
2 Tranexamic Acid Whitening Mask (pink packaging)
1 Chamomile Soothing Mask (green packaging; with flowers)
2 Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Moisturizing Mask (with yellow note)

Otaku is also a new brand to me. I couldn't find many (if any) reviews for it but their concept seemed similar to other Taiwanese mask brands: low price & variety. They have some interesting options that I've never seen before in masks, like cactus and cedar myogenic. This usually isn't a selling point for me since I only buy masks for their instant hydration aspect. But it is interesting to see a variety nonetheless.

B&H
L to R: GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition & Battery BacPac, SanDisk Class 10 32GB microSDHC

Ever since my summer plans have been set, I contemplated on the idea of recording my trip. This is the first time I am going to be back in Asia in a long time and very first time in this particular country. Even though it is probably better to just live through and keep the memories in my head, I always loved the idea of having something tangible to look back on. Maybe it's because of my (sometimes) bad memory.

Since I already have an DSLR and do plan on bringing it along, I didn't want to purchase a point & shoot, mirror-less, or camcorder. It would be just one too many things to carry around and I probably wouldn't use my DSLR as much as I would like. There are also a few reason why I didn't want to record with my DSLR on the go. One being my lack of sufficient memory cards & space. Another the lack of additional batteries (the battery for my camera model is discontinued). Plus my DSLR doesn't have autofocus. But the main reason is the camera is just too bulky and heavy. I feel that if anything that would deter me from wanting to use it consistently to record + take photos.

The GoPro's small and light features drew me to it but I was really hesitant to commit to the idea since the camera is used more for action recording. With an upcoming getaway the Besties and I planned, I thought it would be a great idea to at least try the camera out. Luckily B&H's return policy allows room for me to give the GoPro a try (& I triple checked with the SA just to be sure). I am so new to the world of videos but just having this new gadget makes me all excited inside. Who knows...maybe if I get really into it, I'll end up using the camera for it's action-recording purpose?...!

Sephora
First Aid Beauty Fab Faves To Go Kit, Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover

This purchase was maybe half necessity and half impulse? Although I could pack a full-sized eye-makeup remover in my checked luggage, I think there will be a trip or two where I wouldn't need to have checked-in luggage. Plus it is probably not the best idea to decant a duo-phased cleanser, right? I have never tried Clinique's version but have heard of others who liked it before. Hopefully it will work well!

I am not sure what happened to my skin lately but I have many patches of really rough, dry, and sometimes itchy skin all over my neck, decollete, arms, and even some on parts of my face. My mom thinks it might be an allergic reaction to something but I'm not really sure what it could have been. The current skincare products I have don't really help it and putting body lotion on doesn't seem to work well either. I thought I would give the First Aid Beauty kit a try since it seems to target skin emergencies. (Don't quote me, I could be completely wrong about this...) If not it would still be nice travel-sized items to have.

Have you tried any of these things before?
What or where do you think my announcement is about?
Would you be interested in seeing short travel videos from me?

It is easy to get into a rut with school and work.
Somehow I was able to do some fairly interesting things in March.

Red Jacket Orchards - Cold Pressed Juices

Wilklow Orchards

Stumbled upon a farmers' market in Downtown Brooklyn.
They were pretty much all selling things apple related. I thought apple season was in Autumn?

Otafuku x Medetai
220 East 9th Street New York, NY 10003

Takoyaki

Taiyaki (Red Bean, Nutella with banana)

Had some takoyaki, taiyaki, okonomiyaki, and yakisoba
This was all shared of course! ... Except for the 2 fish breads that I devoured :P
I don't know of many other places that make takoyaki, but Otafuku is pretty well known in NYC for theirs. They have actually moved to a new store location that is just down the block from their previous "hole-in-the-wall" shop.

Visited the Samsung Galaxy Studio in Soho
Got a bunch of freebies & played with the Samsung gadgets
Made a few 3-D print-out key charms

Chaamlex Thai Delish
34 Lexington Ave, New York 10010
Btwn E 23rd & E 24th St

Rediscovered thai iced tea (That stuff is awesome!)
Pad thai here was alright. A bit too ... sweet for me? But can't complain much since this thai restaurant is really close to school.

Maison Keyser Flatiron
921 Broadway New York, NY 10010
Btwn 21st St & 22nd St

Parisienne Cocotte & Yuzu Tart Met with Kar Yi, lilladyslife, and Monkica
Had a French(?) meal for the first time
Tried a great tart that was surprisingly not very sweet at all (looks are deceiving!)

Dove VoxBox & Uni VoxBox Received some goodies to try
I try to not use stick deodorants anymore, but gave the Dove Advanced Care Deodorant with NutriumMoisture a go anyways. I think that it works well. I'm not really sure how it compares with other deodorants but it seems to do it's job.

The Uni VoxBox came chockful of stuff. I haven't gotten to trying everything yet. But it seems that I actually picked the wrong foundation shade so I can't test that out properly. I have miixed it with lighter foundations though and a little bit of the Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation in Sand goes a long way in terms of color. I don't like the consistency of the product very much. It is a little too thick for my liking. Even when I mix it with liquidy products it is still pretty thick. It makes it a bit difficult to blend the product out.

Did you do anything interesting or out of the norm recently?

Woot! Blog layout update! It has been too long. Even though I really loved the other one, I think certain elements in the back-end caused the blog to load way too slow. Now things are even more simplified. It took a whole night's worth of tinkering, but I think it is almost done! (Just a few small things left.)

The biggest change is probably the move to Disqus commenting. After switching to a new template I could no longer reply to comments. All the tutorials I found did not work. To save my sanity, I decided to make the switch. Luckily, no past comments were lost! I hope this change isn't a hassle for anyone who is used to the standard blogger/Google commenting system. If it is, definitely let me know! I'll try to figure it out again.

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I know I missed a month of empties, but that was because I didn't use anything up.
March was a tad better (just a bit).

I had to time to squeeze in a few masks here & there and I must say I almost forgot how relaxing it was to do sheet masks. Other than their moisturizing features, I have never really seen the other claimed benefits of the masks. Of the ones that I have tried, I like My Scheming masks the most. The sheet isn't too flimsy and fits my face shape/size really well.

My makeup collection isn't too big, but it is definitely too much for just one person to have. I discovered this eyeliner not long ago and realized it hasn't been touched in a good year or more. When I went to sharpen and refresh the tip the whole eyeliner came out! I guess it must have dried up a bit in the tube? What do you think I should do with it? Is it savable?

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24kei.com Purchase

Hitachi Hada Crie N820
The big purchase I, finally, made last month. I was sitting on whether or not to buy since mid-February. I don't remember exactly how or why this little gadget piqued my interest. When it did there was no turning back! I have used this for a little under a month and am liking it so far. I still need to test it some more before I will know for sure if I like/love it or not.

Aesop Control
Before going to their location by University Place, I was not aware of Aesop at all. But the natural/medicinal vibe I got when I walked into the store made me feel reassured to try something...anything. I have many different acne treatments on hand, but was still drawn in to this one. The SA there got me with "non-drying". Apparently what makes this difference from the rest is that this is an aloe based product. I haven't used it consistently enough to be able to tell if it does help with pesky pimples or not, but I do appreciate that it really hasn't brought about any extra dry patches after using it.

Have you tried anything new lately or rediscovered something? How did you like (or not like) it?

Ah, I'm so sorry for the lack of posts. The PC that I usually edit photos with is all sorts of messed up right now and can't be fixed anytime soon. Because of that I kept on making excuses, like "I have no where to edit my pictures...", all month long.

Luckily I was able to score a really relaxed, very part-time, job and could spend my downtime editing photos, blogging, or studying. Although the quality of the edits isn't what I am used to, this will make do for now.

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Since the Spring semester started, I have been able to enjoy a few lunch dates with Bestie C. Some time mid-February we decided to try a (I think...) authentic Japanese meal. We ultimately picked Hiroko's Place in Soho because they had a lot of seating and Bestie C wanted to try their omurice.

(Although...come to think of it, we should really limit our food spendings for the rest of this semester. Explanation coming soon! :P)

Hiroko's Place 75 Thompson St. New York, NY 10012

English Milk Tea

Err definitely not worth the money. But it was very cold the day we went and I wanted to drink something warm. I should have just had water...

Omuhayashi

This is basically omurice (omlette + rice) & hayashi (beef stew) rice and is an off-menu item that I found through Yelp photos. I was stuck between this and curry rice but ended up with this because I wanted to feel special ordering something off-menu. (I know, it's a silly reason...) I remember liking it a lot because I prefer to eat these type of saucy rice dishes. But the meat was a bit tough? (I'm not too sure though. It's been so long...I don't really remember.)

Ladurée Soho
398 W Broadway New York, NY 10012

laduree soho pistachio and caramel macarons

L to R: Pistachio Macaron and Salted Caramel Macaron
While wandering around Soho, Bestie C remembered that a new Ladurée had opened on lower Manhattan and we set to locate it. Somehow we ended up walking a very big circle before realizing we had been walking in the opposite direction from Ladurée. When we got to the storefront there was even a line-up to get inside! Good thing the line moved quickly, otherwise the wait would have been torturous in the cold and snowy weather.

I had not planned on buying anything. Once I got inside the store I couldn't help to pick up two macarons. They are as sweet as I remembered. But of the two, I think I prefer the salted caramel one more.

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Although I have been pretty good at controlling my spendings (excluding food-wise), I did end up making some small impulse purchases this trip.

Murad Acne Spot Treatment - $
Bestie C recommended this to me. I never really had an interest in Murad acne products because I thought they only used salicylic acid (which doesn't really work for me). But this spot treatment product uses sulfur. I have never tried sulfur on breakouts so I got one to try. *Cross my fingers* Hoping for the best!

Sunrise Mart Soho
494 Broome St.
New York, NY 10012

L to R: Kai Bobby Pins, Kao White Bar Soap, Cow Brand SkinLife Medicated Acne Care Cleanser
My beauty buys from the Japanese market. I don't really have an explanation for these other than I wanted to try them? I have heard from somewhere before that Cow Brand cleansers are pretty good, so why not try it out? It wasn't too pricey anyways.

What have you been up to lately?

Woot! My birthday just passed and I am now really an "adult".
Ah...I don't think I am quite ready to face the world as one yet.

Worries aside, I had a pretty awesome birthday.

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Cocoron
37 Kenmare St
New York, NY 10012
b/t Mott St & Elizabeth St

It was hard to decide on a lunch spot, but I settled on Cocoron. This has been on my "To try" list ever since ExtraPetite posted about this a few months ago. Bestie C and I had actually attempted to eat there once before on a Saturday and the place was packed. This time we made sure to get there right when they opened and we were the second to be seated!

Mera Mera Dip Soba My main agenda at Cocoron was to try their dip soba. I have never had authentically prepared soba and I liked the idea of being able to dip the noodles. I ended up choosing this medium-spicy soup base and really enjoyed it. It wasn't too spicy when eating with the noodles, but definitely too hot for me to drink the soup. I can't wait to go back to try some of their other versions!

Steamed Chicken Meatballs Yelp reviews raved about this appetizer. I think it is ground chicken (or chicken pieces) that is surrounded by sticky rice. This is pretty simple, but I love the combo (especially how it is bite-sized). For the price, I am not sure if I would get it again...but I enjoyed it while it lasted!

Green Tea Affogato Again, another item I wanted to try after going through Yelp. (Notice a trend...?) I don't think this was anything too special but it was a nice end to the meal. Something sweet, something bitter, something chewy, something crunchy, and something cold. But because I didn't evenly spread the anko (red beans) out, the last quarter of the dessert just tasted like soggy green tea cereal.

Homemade donuts by Bestie C!
Samoa Donuts and Green Tea Donuts She's been baking a lot of donuts recently, but I never got the chance to try one. I was so excited to get these. Between the two, I really liked the Samoa ones the most. But then again, I have a bias towards the caramel, coconut, and chocolate trio. These tasted even better with a sip of milk!

Ah the never ending purple themed presents from her. But I am not complaining. I was so surprised by the purple BeautyBlender though. I know the Pantone color this year is Orchid but had no idea BeautyBlender came out with a sponge to match. I hope this is a permanent color! (Is it...?)

As usual, we had two cakes this year as well because my mom invited a lot of family and friends over for dinner. To think the cake almost spelled MADY...

paris baguette blueberry chiffon cake slice

I initially wanted to try a new cake from Paris Baguette that I haven't had before...but I had the hardest time deciding at the store. To save myself the trouble of spending an hour staring hopelessly at all the options, I ended up getting the blueberry one instead. For some reason this one just doesn't compare to the blueberry chiffon cake I had 2 years ago. It tasted slightly sweeter and is definitely less purple than I remember. It was still good nonetheless, just different.

Would it be surprising if I said that yesterday was pretty much my first time having alcohol? (Other than the one mega tiny sip each of beer and wine I had a couple years ago.) Good thing there were 4 of us sharing the bottle, or else I do not know how I would have finished it. Bitter...bitter...bitter! After a few sips of the Heineken, I had to dilute it with Sprite. Yup...I guess I am not a drinker. But then again we also had a Coors Light and that was slightly more enjoyable. Not sure what to think about alcohol now.

How do you typically spend your birthdays?
Big ol' parties or meals with small groups?

April & May 2014 Happenings

April & May Empties

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