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
Product Description:
With an uplifting blast of grapefruit plus vitamin C, this unique formula clears blemishes and blackheads. Eliminates oil and dirt without over-drying.
Places to buy:
✻ Drugstores (CVS, Walgreens, RiteAid, etc.)
Packaging:
Comes in a 6 fl oz. bottle with a pump. It works well for the type of cleanser this is. However, when I first started to use the product a lot of the cleanser would squeeze through the pump base edges. It doesn't look very appealing but after some product clogs that area the spillage stops.
Directions:
✻ (From bottle) Cleanse twice a day. Wet face. Apply to hands, add water and work into a lather. Massage face gently. Rinse thoroughly.
✻ (What I did) Sometimes I cleansed the way Neutrogena suggested. Other times I pumped some product onto my foaming net and created a foamy lather to wash my face with. Either way is fine but I just like that I get more foam to work with when using a foaming net. It also isn't as runny when I do it the latter way. I found that liquid consistency cleansers tend to make a runnier lather which always ends up sliding down my arm and creating a mess on the countertop and floors.
Lathered with hands
Lathered with foaming net
Positives:
✻ Affordable (and Neutrogena is on sale often at the drugstores!)
✻ Available locally
✻ Can last a long time if you don't use a full pump for each usage
✻ Did not break me out
✻ Helped control my breakouts quite well but it isn't a miracle product! I still got occasional pimples here and there
✻ Did not make my face feel dry and tight after using it
✻ Isn't a very harsh cleanser but my skin still felt clean
✻ Skin felt very soft after using this cleanser
✻ Doesn't have parabens
Negatives:
✻ Has sulfates, color, and fragrance
✻ Doesn't help much with blackheads
Repurchase?
Yes! I had many good skin days while using this cleanser. After finish this cleanser and I moved onto something else, I noticed I had so many more breakouts and they just wouldn't go away. I cannot say that this cleanser was definitely the direct reason why I had clearer skin but I like to think it played a big part. As strange as this may sound, I missed this product! Mostly because I know it did well for my skin. Too bad I was sucked into the cleanser deals while hauling from Cosmetic-Love or else I would have definitely bought another bottle to help fix my skin.
Recommend?
Yes!
Rating:
4.5...a very close 5 though! I'm going to reserve that for HG status products. This one isn't quite there yet but I did enjoy using it very much and after finishing it I actually missed how my skin was while using the product.
Disclaimer: These are just the results I had while using the product. Remember, everyone else's skin is different!! What may have worked for me, may not work for you & what may not have worked for me, may work for you. Try the product at your own risk! I bought this product with my own money and am in no way connected to the companies mentioned. This is my honest opinion!
It's been a few years since I last did any DIY project quite as intensely as I did recently. Bestie C came over last week with some DIY bracelet materials and taught me how to make these particular bracelets. If I remember correctly, she said these are called square knots bracelets?
Right when I saw the example she did, I thought it looked exactly like the cobra lanyard pattern I learned as a kid. (Those were fun times! I still have tons of those lanyard boxes, cobras, butterflies patterns!) The steps are a little different but the overall look is similar.
I got a lot of Hemp rope from her to make these bracelets with the intention of doing these throughout the upcoming HOT NYC weekend. But I was so into the routine that I made all 8 of them all in one night. No doubt my fingers felt very raw and tender afterward but a good night rest healed them right up! Maybe you could tell from the photo but the first few (green, pink, and grey) bracelets were the first three that I made and they didn't turn out perfect. As I did more, it ended up looking better and better! What an accomplishment [at least I like to think so]!
After the whole DIY session, I suddenly had such an urge to start wearing accessories again [particularly bracelets]. I was able to go to the city the other day to walk around and made a stop to an H&M and Forever 21. Then I saw these beauties! For whatever reason, I usually don't pay much attention to the accessories sections of the retail stores but I'm glad I didn't pass them this time around. Individually each wasn't too pricey...probably around USD$6-7 a piece/set. However, I had such a big impulse to buy bracelets and bangles in particular that my haulage ended up adding to be a lot. Hopefully, I won't be paying for what their price is worth because I'd love if these lasted for a while!
Set of gold and turquoise bangles from H&M
These aren't anything special individually but I recently bought a couple of tops with some turquoise/blue color that'll match these very well. I shall post the outfit & accessories together soon! I think it'll look great together. The problem is...maybe it would look a little tacky with so many things being matchy-matchy?
From H&M
These two were not a set! I was so drawn to both when I saw them. I have no idea when I could wear the white bangle just by itself but it looks a bit more wearable with the gold bangle, don't you agree? The only strange thing was I thought there might be some kind of functionality to the lobster clasp on the gold bangle but it is really just for show. I tried to open the clasp and it wouldn't even snap back into its former closed state like a working lobster clasp should. The only way to reclose it was to force it shut. Originally, I thought I broke the clasp but soon realized it probably supposed to be that way because it wasn't designed to be opened and closed! It felt kind of pointless in my opinion but aesthetically I do have to say it is a nice touch.
From Forever21
I love going to the Forever21 in Times Square. It has one of the biggest in-store selection, of course since it is a flagship. In particular, their accessories section at this location is massive! Usually, it only is a little corner or wall of a Forever21, but in Times Square almost half of a level is full of accessories! Bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces, hairbands...all the works! To be honest all the choices available make it a little overwhelming. I was almost going to leave the store empty-handed until I spotted these two gems sitting in a plastic bowl. I was so torn between which one to get that I just decided to make my life easier and just got both. I could probably wear either or both very often anyways. In fact, I've worn the pink one two days in a row already! I love how subtle the spikes are yet still can make a great statement piece.
From Forever21
This doesn't fit the overall bracelet theme of this post but I felt I couldn't leave it out of my accessories post. I've been into bow items for a while now but always couldn't find a nice one that had a good chain length in any store. I've been wearing this for a few days and could hardly even tell that I had it on. Not too long that it's dangling around the cleavage area but not too short that I feel like it'll choke me if I'm not constantly bringing it back to its original position. When I had these kinds of bling-ed items in the past, the major minus was the rhinestones would fall out after a while. But for the price (~USD$3), I won't feel as upset [unless I get attached to it for whatever reason...].
It is quite impossible [at least I think so] for me to DIY bangles such as these. So I can justify getting a few here and there. Plus, it'll be a nice variant when I do make more bracelets in the future. Only bangles arm candy can get heavy, clanky, and boring! I did a small google search and found a handful of DIY tutorials that I really want to do. Hopefully, the beads supply stores will have what I need or else I'll have to enlist the help of Bestie C once again to help me order the materials! Here are a few of the tutorials I currently have my eye on (I am not in any way affiliated with them!): Gold Tube Bracelets, Macrame Bracelets, Braided Bead Bracelets, and Wrap Bracelet. Some of the techniques needed are similar to what I learned from Bestie but they incorporated a few different and smaller details which make all the difference!
Is anyone else also interested in DIYing? If so which tutorials have you tried or bookmarked for future experimenting? I'd love to know!
I received an email from a blog reader a couple of days ago. I've gotten one or two way back when, but haven't gotten many recently. But this was so exciting! I know many of my readers are silent readers [I am too!], but if there is anything you're interested in knowing right away just ask! I don't bite. Especially not since we're communicating through the internet, of course. :] If I can answer you, I definitely will!
In her e-mail, the...my?...reader...she asked about a base product shade comparison, as you probably already saw the title of this post! I wonder why I haven't thought to do this earlier...Before I even think about buying a foundation or any base product at that, I search high and low to compare swatches all the time! I remember I had a difficult time finding photos of Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream No.27 too (but this was when Missha had introduced this shade maybe a short while before I got the product).
I got this last September/October during Missha's Labor Day event. I already tried a sample of their BB Cream in No.23 and felt it was too gray and pink for my skin & at the time No. 31 had been out a while and judging from swatches/videos it seemed way too dark for my skin. Luckily they came out with the No.27 - Honey Beige. It seemed like the best option for me. However, when I went to Google...I really didn't come across any swatches of the then new shade. I was even more surprised when she mentioned she had no luck finding swatches to compare either and it is a good 6+ months later!
When it's all spread out like this, there is a pretty clear difference between the two products. One is clearly peachier and the other more yellow/golden.
However, when it is actually applied and blended, I could hardly tell the difference. I'd say that Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 210 Sandy Beige and Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream in No.27 Honey Beige are very similar in color. It isn't spot on identical though. But, of course, no one will be wearing the two [if they have both] at the same time on different sides of their face on a regular basis. This is just to show how similar they are in color! I've never been shade matched at MAC Cosmetics for their NC/NW color system so I'm not sure how these two compares to a MAC foundation per say. If anyone knows their MAC shade and also uses either or one of these two products, I'll add it to the post for future readers!
I cannot really give a review of the two base products because honestly, I have quite a lot of BB Creams and foundations in my collection and I don't wear them all the time. So I don't have many opinions on either...yet!
I haven't swatched all the base products that I have together yet but it will be another task for me this summer! Especially since I don't review my makeup items as often as I should be, at least leaving swatches for my readers is the least I could do! Again...If there is anything you're interested in just let me know. Don't be afraid to ask! I know how that feels too!
I've said this before but there are times when I see things online and want to get it immediately. A handful of the times I may be able to actually make the purchase. Yet the other times...it will just go straight to my bookmarks list. Especially when it comes to designer items, more than likely my wish list items will fall into the latter group. [At least I hope it will only stay this way for now! Must study hard and get employed in order to shrink my wants list!]
I haven't heard too much about kate spade or her products. The name does pop up here and there, but to be honest I haven't really ever looked through her collection until tonight. I usually don't like to browse through designer/high-end websites because I end up with a million and one things I want to buy but do not have the ability to. [Does this happen to anyone else?] However, looking doesn't hurt...right? At least now I know where I could look toward to get the style of wallets and bags I like!
Of all the wallet choices in kate spade's collection, I really love her "continental" style wallets. They have a zipper closure and look pretty roomy. This is the exact style I like for a wallet. These are harder to find on the more affordable end of the spectrum, either you have to sacrifice the price or its looks. Why can't the world be perfect? *sigh*, For now, this will be first on my wallet list when I can afford to upgrade mine. Do you think these are worth the hefty designer price tag?
Mikas Pond Lacey in Gold
Palm Groves Lacey in Natural/African Violet
These two caught my eye from the current collection. Although I do like some of her wallets in the black color, it seemed a bit boring to me. Since I tend to play it safe in the colors I wear, it'll probably be wise for me to play with the colors of my accessories like a wallet. I do hope that there will be similar ones available when I upgrade my wallet!
If designer wallets are a dream for me right now...let's forget about even dreaming of bags! Still...I couldn't help but look through her handbag collection after seeing what was in her wallet section.
Cobble Hill Small Leslie
The others didn't look very appealing to me but then I saw this at the end of the page! I'm not a big fan of the all black handbag but it is classic [at least I think it is] and easy to pair with outfits. Right now, my preferred bag style is one with both a shorter handle and a cross-body strap and this fit my list well. Similar to my favorite kind of wallets, I found that these type of bags that look great and doesn't break the bank are so difficult to find! Of course, I can't be so hasty and say I love it already because some things look better online than in person, particularly the actual size is always something to consider.
Gold Coast Janine
This type of bag isn't a necessity for me, but something about it grabs me towards it. I absolutely love the quilted design to this laptop bag! It kind of reminds me of the Chanel bags' designs...don't you think so?
Skinny Mini Bow Bangle
I've been trying to change my style lately. Especially with what I wear, clothes-wise and accessories-wise. I used to wear bracelets all the time when I was younger and now the only thing that ever sits on my wrists are my hair-ties...What happened Mandy?! Anyways...! I knew that her jewelry was probably as expensive [for me] as her other products are but I still looked through it. She has some amazing pieces! In particular, I love her bows incorporated items. Maybe I'll be able to find one similar to substitute? I obviously cannot even consider DIYing this bangle!
Has anyone purchased anything from kate spade before?
Is there anything you recommend in particular? Or tips on when I can score these on sale? :P
