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.
I am the type of person who gets intrigued by things very easily. Sometimes it'll amount to something. Other times it just becomes another one of those "I wish I knew how to do that" moments and then it gets thrown into the back burner. Even when I do pick something up, there's not a guarantee that I will stay interested in it for a long time. As terrible as that sounds, I'm sure I'm not the only one who experienced this from time to time...right?
Recently, I have had such an itch to make my own bracelets. But with school and all, I rarely had the time to sit and even enjoy dramas and TV like I used to...let alone make bracelets. However, I was able to find a little time every now and again in these last couple of months to make a few bracelets to give away to you guys! There's still plenty of time to enter if you haven't already. Click HERE!! *I think my hands are bigger than average, so I used them as a guide. I hope these will fit whoever the winner is!!*
Here are some of the trendier and more unique designs that I put together.
At first, this cross bracelet wasn't going to be made with a leather cord or a pre-made closure. But I found that regular cotton cord knotting technique I had in mind would make the bracelet too flimsy. Hence another trip to the bead store was needed. But I actually like the final result a lot more than I originally imagined. This is the first time I'm experimenting with magnetic clasps. I haven't bought any bracelets which used such a contraption. I think that the idea is quite genius. Sometimes it's just very difficult to try and handle putting on bracelets by yourself, no? (At least I have that problem every now and again.) I cannot say how well the magnet will be in the long run though...
I used the same macrame knotting technique for the next two bracelets. It's great how many [sort of] different designs you can get with just one technique.
I actually ruined this fish bracelet. It originally had two beads to make it easier to loosen and tighten the bracelet. But...I bought beads that were cubes and copper in color. I ended up not liking the finished results at all. So I chose to remove them altogether. Now the bracelet fits very snug at its maximum length and it isn't the easiest to adjust the bracelet closure. I'm so sorry!
My most proud design. To be honest, I'm not very much into skulls anything. But it has been trending a lot in the fashion world so I thought you guys wouldn't mind as much as I did. After I put everything together, my mind completely changed. I LOVE this one the most. Usually, I end up making my bracelets just a little too small or a little too big. But surprisingly, this one is the perfect size and the closure is the perfect length. I am considering making one for myself. (Let's hope when that happens, it'll be just as good as this one was!)
Since I only buy enough material to make one bracelet each time I visit the bead store, things really started to add up. Maybe I'll invest in a whole roll of cord so it is more cost efficient? If that happens, are there any colors you guys would suggest I get? (Of course, this is assuming my interest in DIY bracelet making lasts for a long while.)
When it comes to putting on makeup, I'm really not all that creative. Paired together with my night owl habits, I like to keep the steps simple and the process quick. I say it takes me about 15 minutes every day to 'put on my face'. Sometimes even quicker if I don't put any eye makeup on.
These are the items that I'm currently using. A few do rotate from week to week. But on the whole I am trying to take lilladylife's advice to pan out products by using the same products for at least a couple of weeks. Listed in the order that I apply the products:
1. Foundation ~ Becca Luminous Skin Colour Tinted Moisturizer - Toast
Right now my complexion is a lot darker than it was last year so I am relying on some foundation samples I got from Sephora for the time being. I also recently got the Sonia Kashuk 'beauty blender' sponge and I love makes almost all the foundation I've tried it with look light and natural on me.
2. Concealer ~ Bobbi Brown Corrector - Porcelain Peach
3. Blush ~MAC Cream Colour Base - Virgin Isle
4. Highlighter ~ Benefit High Beam
I've probably mentioned this a million times before but I really do love the natural/dewy look. To achieve this effect I either use the Etude House Nymph Aura Volumer or the more classic highlighter. Whether I use one or the either depends really on the type of foundation/base I use. If it's a more matte BB Cream or foundation⇢Etude House Nymph Aura Volume. If it's a pretty light and dewy already like some foundations or tinted moisturizer⇢highlighter.
5. Powder ~ mark Powder Buff Natural Skin Foundation - Buff
When I powder depends on what type of blush I wear. Usually I like to powder as the last face step to set a cream blush rather than having to set the blush with another powder blush.
6. Eyeshadow ~ L'Oreal Infallible - Iced Latte (all over lid) & Bronzed Taupe (outer half of lid)
7. Eyeliner ~ Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Eyeliner - Shimmery Brown liner from the Nude Eyes set
This is my favorite eyeliner. It's also the only one I've tried so far that doesn't transfer onto my lower eye area within the first hour (or sometimes even less) after applying. However, this was the only one of the three in the set that I really like. For some reason the black smudges like all the other brands' eyeliners that I've tried and the champagne color is just too light to use any where other than the inner corners of the eyes.
8. Lips ~ Lioele Blooming Pop Pinky Tint
What are your daily makeup routines like?
Before anyone moves forward with reading the rest of this post, I am fully aware of how much I spent on just these two items alone. But as the title says...I can justify them! Let me share...
I received an e-mail from Racked NY's report on the Rebecca Minkoff Sample Sale on Monday and thought nothing of it. I always wanted a cute designer bag that I could call my own, but I never actually looked into it any further because of their prices. You know, those "ah I wish I had that, but can't afford it" moments!
Out of curiosity I asked Bestie C (who is a huge coupon user and recently bought a Mini MAC on sale from Bloomies) how much she was able to get her bag for and also told her I wanted to go Friday (the second to last sale day) to just "see" for myself. But after she made a pitstop at the sale Tuesday and told me her report, I had a sudden urge to go ASAP. Which is exactly what I did.
I literally spent 2 hours (more or less) there Wednesday, pacing around the MAC area/samples area/one particular mirror trying to make up my mind. (Luckily I didn't have to wait on a line to get inside.) Right when I walked in, I was overwhelmed by all the colorful and different textured MAC's/MAC Daddy's/Mini MAC's. Yet nothing really caught my eye. There were a few purples that looked nice but nothing that I was really attached to. Nothing 'calling my name'. For now, my logic toward expensive bags is I'd prefer a safe colored (black, brown, tan, navy, etc.) bag that I can continue to use for a long time as opposed to a louder color and/or bolder design bag that can fall in/out of trends.
Maybe half an hour or so after I went inside, I held onto a magenta/purple MAC and dug around the samples table. (This was really one huge mess; at least the other tables were regularly reorganized.) I finally found a brown MAC! I was thrilled. I LOVED the studded look. But then I noticed the strap was a completely different color than the bag, it was missing a dust bag, and the strap's hardware was a shiny silver versus the bag's hardware which was more of a darker matte silver. EEKK! After some inquiring, I was told it's still being sold as is for $175 since it didn't have a pink sample tag on it. I didn't know what to do...If I was to spend $175 for a bag (even if it is heavily discounted), I should really love it. Plus, if I did get it and others do notice the discrepancies they would probably think I'm carry around a fake...no?
So I spent the next one and a half hours deciding. Pretending to look at things at the tables. Then walked back to the mirror to try to make a decision. I overheard one of the staff say he was going downstairs to check if there were more MACs, so I stuck around for a while longer. Every now and again, I saw a new color on the tables. I spotted and liked a mint colored M.A.C. that they put out (I only saw 1 of this) but again not the color I really wanted.
Rebecca Minkoff M.A.C. Clutch in brown with gold hardware
Then toward my second hour inside, I saw this! I don't think I could have been any happier...It was just sitting there, still with it's straps and hardware wrapped up. I immediately speed-walked (sped-walked?) to it and grabbed it. Being indecisive actually paid off for once...! That's a first and probably the last hah. I was still pretty conflicted though. But after bombarding Bestie C with texts and e-mails, her input steered me toward this one. I cannot thank her enough because secretly I thought this was the better choice...even if I did really like the studded detailing of the other.
This is the only flaw I found on it. I'm not even sure what it is. Perhaps a glue residue of some sort? Nothing too heartbreaking, of course.
Justification for the bag?
- Retail Price: $295
- Sample Sale Price: $175
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I ordered this lens from Best Buy the Wednesday (11/7) before the Big Bang concert with intentions of using it during the concert. I love that Best Buy has a pick-up option, which saves on shipping fees and time. But I was very disappointed by their service. I picked a store very close to where I live thinking I could pick the lens up the next day because that is what they had estimated on their website. However, I never received the "You can pick up your order now" e-mail the next day; only to later find out by myself through Google and Facebook that the location I chose was "closed indefinitely" due to Hurricane Sandy. I completely understand why they were closed and I guess I should have known better. But BestBuy.com could have at least said something on their website or stopped me from picking the store to begin with. Don't you think so?
Friday night (after the concert), I saw their 'Order Canceled' e-mail citing a system error. Since I was afraid that I would miss the sale and that I might lose the Rewards dollars my mom let me use toward this lens, I reordered it right away. (I was still at Penn Station!) Luckily, the price was the same, I still had the Rewards money, and I was able to get free expedited shipping (thanks to my parents and their big purchases at Best Buy). *Funny thing, the following Saturday night I checked the Facebook of the store and they said they were opening Sunday! I think the term 'trolled' seems appropriate here...*
Fast forward Wednesday evening (same day I went to the Minkoff sale), I had a huge panic/mental breakdown when I thought my package was lost or shipped to the wrong address. That would have been a huge disaster! Especially since UPS didn't require a signature for such a small package. Thankfully, I happened to run into the UPS delivery man for my neighborhood and he assured me it was where he (literally) dropped it off.
Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM Pancake Lens
It looked quite a bit of researching before I decided to buy this. The price just made the decision that much easier. The only thing I was afraid of was that this newly released lens wouldn't fit my 'old' DSLR (T1i). Luckily, it fits just fine. Unlike my basic beginner lenses, that came with the package I bought my camera with, I had to give this lens a good turn for it to click into place. It looks so delicate, I was almost afraid to do it. Have a fixed focal length is very new to me and the (relatively) quiet autofocusing blew my mind! I can't wait to play with this as soon as I have the chance to. It also makes it so much more compact and light. I think it would definitely be a great family vacation lens, especially since I don't use a point and shoot camera anymore.
Justification for the lens?
- Retail Price: $199.99
- Sale Price: $149.99
- After Additional Rewards Money: $119.99
Numbers speak for themselves, yeah?
Plus, I'm definitely going to get good usage out of both of these. I'll make sure of it! In the end it'll all be worth it. Needless to say, this is the last of my designer and big camera purchases for now. Must stop myself now before I really develop a problem and find myself in too much debt...heh :)
**I'm curious, do you guys mind reading these lengthy/wordy posts? and Does anyone find all these details unnecessary?**
***I'm still working on the Big Bang concert post! Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about it.***
I don't normally devote a whole post just as a preview for another post.
BUT! I am way too excited to share about what happened yet I didn't get a chance to edit through all the photos I want to share.
(I'm warning everyone before hand...it'll be very image heavy hehe)
So...here's a sneak peak at what's to come :]
These weather conditions have been all over the place lately. Last week the east coast had Hurricane Sandy to deal with and before even fully recovering from that, there another storm...snow this time. But still, cheers for the first snowfall we are having! (It's been too long. I won't be this cheerful about snow in a few days hah!) Ahh, the sudden changes in weather and temperature just make me feel uncomfortable. I wish the change this year was more gradual. Just before Sandy came I was still wearing my Toms look-a-likes around. Now even thick socks and sneakers aren't warm enough for my toes, maybe I need to wear UGG boots already... Cold weather + rain/snow/mush = not a very happy Mandy.
Since I don't feel like being outside much in this kind of weather, I couldn't do any eye-oogling/window shopping after I took my two (very hard stressful) midterms today. I was completely pooped from pulling an all-nighter trying to cram info for 2 classes into my brain and in addition, I sat in an exam rooms for 3+ hours all together...back to back... My mind was in all sorts of knots by the time I came home. After a quick nap, I remembered I forgot to share some cute yet functional items I bought from eBay recently. At least I can look at photos of things that'll make me happier :]
Before I get to the highlight of my eBay frenzy, here was the dud of the loot.
Faux Leather DSLR Digital Camera Bag Satchel Shoulder Bag M from vivi_leather on eBay
I'm not sure if this bag is still available for sale but I wouldn't recommend getting this bag anyway. At first, I came across photos of this bag from a Korea based shop and thought "I must get that! It looks too cute and would be great for non-pro/hobby photographers like me." But sadly the item wasn't listed there anymore (I don't know why it came up when I searched through). So I did some more browsing and found some China-based sellers and one HK seller (vivi_leather) with the same exact photos as the Korean seller's. I couldn't believe it! And of course...it was too good to be true. I picked the Hong Kong shop to hopefully avoid chances of getting an imitation product. I just didn't think that there were imitations of such little things like this too. Don't get me wrong, the seller is very nice and shipping was ridiculously quick considering it's coming from HK. I can't speak for all their other bags, but I just wasn't all too crazy with this particular one I that got.
This is a photo from the seller's listing. Just in this image alone shows discrepancies. The left photo is the same I saw in the Korean store (I'll dub this "original" for easier reference). The bottom right photo looks like it is VERY similar to the left. But the bag I got looks more like the top right photo. Call me picky but I really care about these things. Especially because this wasn't particularly a cheap bag price-wise (~$35). I did thoroughly inspect and compare all the photos both sellers posted before I decided to hit the Order button. But I must have missed the little details...
- The overall structure of the bag I received is similar to the "official" photos. I was a little surprised by the size of the bag, but that is my fault for not pulling out a ruler to double-check. Definitely only big enough for a DSLR + standard basic beginner lens and maybe an extra battery or other small things. There's barely enough extra room for even a wallet. If I plan to go out and about I can't really go with just this bag. At least the camera is snug in there!...I guess?
- The bag is closed by 2 magnetic clasps. Nothing too fancy. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Magnetic closures seem to be pretty popular for satchels with a flap. The problem was one of the clasps wasn't very strong at all. Just a slight tap and it would detach itself. Imagine what would happen if I was outside and it just came undone so easily?!
- There was this separator included...that was made of literally just a piece of cloth with velcro attached on the edges. However, I'm not sure if it can even be called a separator. When it came, it was stuck to one side to look like a money/memory card slot (which doesn't work because there is no actual pocket created). Definitely not sturdy to be used as either the former or the latter...So I just took it out completely. Nice thought! (Not really...) To the fair, the "official" photos had a separator that looked more padded and seemed like it could actually be used as a true separator. Perhaps the people who made this were trying to copy all the details down to the last T.
- If they were...then they missed one feature. The two latches are missing the metal tips. It would have been a nice touch. Plus, it would keep the edges from fraying.
I hate it when impulse buys don't live up to my expectations. I'm still going to make good use of it. It would be too expensive to send back to HK so that wasn't really an option. I just hope that it'll last longer than I think it will. For now, at least I have a smaller camera bag dedicated just for my beloved DSLR.
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Anyway! Enough with my rant...Onward with the cute things!
lovely items actually from Korea this time from lonedaisy77 on eBay
I'm pretty sure this is an original product. Would imitators go as far as to copy a holographic sticker? A very detailed sticker at that too!
Shinzi Katoh Lock Up Earphone Winder in Mint
I love this earphone winder. I wonder now why I never got one before. (Ahh, that's right because I couldn't order for eBay myself.) It helps to store my headphones in my jacket pocket or bag much easier. Things are less tangled and messy. The cables wouldn't accidentally drag other things out of my pocket. It just makes life a little easier!
Ribbon Earphone Winder in Lavender
Another earphone winder. I got suckered in by the bow...heh. I found that this winder doesn't keep the headphone cables as contained as I liked so I repurposed it to organize my iPhone/iPad charger instead.
Shinzi Katoh Zip Around Clutch Long Wallet in Purple
This was the biggest surprise. I had no idea the wallet would come all nicely packaged like this. Makes it feels so luxurious. Is this how bigger companies also package their wallets? It is very nicely made and has lots of card slots and pockets for receipts, cash, and a zipped section for coins. LOVE! I haven't used this yet. I don't want to cause any unnecessary damage to it yet because I tend to carry a lot of heavy things in my bag for school.
There are quite a few Korean sellers who have Shinzi Katoh and similar styled items. I chose to buy from this particular seller because Bestie C bought from here before and recommended it. There are times where I'd rather pay a little extra and be assured that things will go smoothly. I've checked the prices on a Korean website that sold these same items and the prices are relatively similar. I guess Shinzi Katoh is a pretty popular accessories (wallets, cell phone cases, passport holders, etc.) brand? I've come to really like his items! I have my eye on a Diary/Wallet style iPhone case but...it is much pricier than what I'm comfortable with paying for a phone case. I shall wait and see if the prices will drop since the iPhone 5 is out! Hehe.
